Still Waters
by Scyllaya
Summary: Sequel to Dead Memories. Since the Serpent took up permanent residence on the sky, causing widespread panic and awe all across the globe, Bucky has been convinced that Loki would return, in one way or another. Steve had no reason to doubt him. However, this was really not how he pictured it at all.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Still Waters

 **Author:** scyllaya

 **Fandom:** Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Comics, The Avengers

 **Rating:** M

 **Pairing(s):** James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

 **Warning(s):** graphic violence

 **Spoiler(s):** Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron – AU version

 **Word Count:** WIP

 **Series:** Part 2 of the Til the Sun Goes Down series – Sequel to Dead Memories

 **Summary:** Since theSerpent took up permanent residence on the sky, causing widespread panic and awe all across the globe, Bucky has been convinced that Loki would return, in one way or another. Steve had no reason to doubt him. However, this was really not how he pictured it at all.

Title song is the 'Through the Valley' cover by Ashley Johnson (Song Originally by Shawn James)

x-x-x

Steve always felt a certain amount of trepidation when his phone rang with one specific ringtone. It was one of the default tones, nothing special, even a little annoying, but the tone was the one he selected for unknown numbers. The number of people – or agencies – that could get a hold of his personal number was very low, thus the nervous little flip in his stomach.

Bucky recognised the ringtone as well, because he was frowning at the phone as Steve reached for it to pick up. He was still in bed, because he never wanted to take the shower first in the morning. His sleep-tousled hair ruined the darkness of his frown and made him look more cute than dangerous… at least in Steve's eyes.

'Hello?' he asked with an even tone when he picked up the phone. There was always a chance it was just Natasha with a new number.

' _Steve? Steve Rogers?_ ' the other person on the line asked. It was a woman and she sounded… old. He immediately felt a little confused, but some of the tension left his body as well.

'Uhm… yes, who is this?'

'It's Rebecca,' she said. 'Rebecca Proctor… oh well, Barnes-Proctor if you will. Sharon was kind enough to give me your number. I hope this is not a bad time.'

Steve froze for one moment and he immediately stared at Bucky.

'Becca, no… hi, I mean, it's not a bad time at all,' Steve said and watched as Bucky's eyes widened after a moment, realising who was on the phone. His face went carefully blank after that. Steve wanted to reach out to touch him. He looked like he might bolt in a second.

'I didn't know you and Sharon knew each other,' Steve added.

'I knew Peggy,' Becca said, sounding like she was smiling. 'We met when they were making that documentary about you. Not that I had much to say, I was so young back then, but I did have a few good stories about you,' she laughed. 'I'm sure you saw it.'

He did see it, in the Smithsonian, back when Peggy was… his heart always clenched painfully whenever he thought of her. He should visit her grave again; he could take the time for it.

'Yeah, that makes sense,' Steve said. 'I guess I just never really thought about it.'

He did feel a little warm thinking about it, Peggy meeting Bucky's family. He was sure she and Becca got along swimmingly.

'So what can I do for you?' he asked. Bucky was still staring at him, but at least he didn't leave the room.

'Well, my 85th Birthday is coming up… oh just saying that… time flies by so quickly.'

'Oh yeah, of course,' Steve said right away. He couldn't remember when her birthday was, maybe early next year. Late in the spring or summer, yeah, that sounded right.

'And next March would have been Bucky's 100th… well… I suppose that must be very strange for you.'

'Yeah,' Steve agreed. He's been thinking about what to do for Bucky's birthday for a while now. On good days, he even teased Bucky about hitting three digits. It was hard to pin down his biological age, because of the constant cryostasis he was put through. They mostly just agreed that he was two years older than Steve, like he's always been, and they just stuck with that.

'Anyway, my sisters and the rest of the family got it in their heads to make a very big deal about this,' Becca continued. 'So we will have a big family reunion in May.'

Okay, May was her birthday then.

'And I know this might be a little out of the blue,' she said. 'And you might not think that way, but I would be really glad if you could come. You were always family, as far as Bucky was concerned, and who could argue with that really.'

'Oh, wow… I don't know what to say. Uhm, thank you.'

'Oh, and all the kids would be delighted,' Becca added. 'Kids, I say, but probably a lot of the grown-ups too,' she chuckled.

'Yes, I… I can probably make it,' Steve said. 'Unless something gets in the way.'

'Well, let's hope the world won't be ending then,' Becca said, sounding very pleased. 'I'll have my granddaughter Jamie _e-mail_ you all the details… I wouldn't know which buttons to push on that thing tablet-thing she got me. Louise doesn't either, but she keeps insisting she knows all the new technology, so I won't even ask her. She might end up sending you one of those viruses.'

Steve laughed quietly at the humour in her voice.

'It took me a while too, to figure it out,' Steve told her.

'Now that must be a big fat lie, Steve Rogers, you've always been a smart one,' Becca said, making Steve smile again.

'So, here in New York?' Steve asked.

'Yes, Evelyn insisted,' Becca said. 'The only true New Yorker in the family, she says. I think she would go mad without all that noise.'

'I would too probably,' Steve said. 'I'm back in Brooklyn now.'

'So I've heard from Sharon,' Becca said. Steve wondered for a moment what else Sharon told her. She knew Bucky was alive and back, but she obviously didn't tell that to Becca. It was kind of confidential information after all.

'Well, I won't keep you,' Becca said then. 'I'm sure you have much to do.'

'I don't mind talking to you, don't worry,' Steve said. 'And thank you for the invitation.'

He looked back up at Bucky again, and wondered how much he heard from the whole conversation. His hearing was as good as Steve's, so probably most of it.

'Oh, don't mention it at all. It will be so good to see you again.'

'You too Becca,' Steve said. 'And everyone else too… sorry I didn't really try…'

'No, no, Steve… you had things to deal with,' she said. 'I can't even imagine what it must've been like, to wake up again the way you did. Don't feel guilty about it.'

'Yeah… thanks, Becca.'

'Goodbye then, Steve. I'll see you in May… oh, God willing.'

'Don't even say that,' Steve chided. 'I'll see you then.'

Becca just chuckled again and said a soft bye before hanging up.

Steve stared at his phone for a bit, then glanced up at Bucky again. His face must've been very descriptive, because Bucky made a face and got out of the bed.

'Don't say it,' he warned. Yeah, that was not likely to happen.

'I really think you should come,' Steve told him. 'Or better yet, contact them now, we can go whenever.'

'No, and I told you why,' Bucky argued. He marched over to the dresser, turning his back on Steve while he got some clean clothes out.

'Her 85th Birthday, Buck,' Steve reminded him. 'How many more do you think she'll have? You know you will regret it if you don't see her at least once.'

'It's not about me, it's better for them.'

'That's bullshit, and you know it.'

Bucky was quiet for long moments, just staring down at the drawer in front of him.

'Becca was eleven when I last saw her… Louise was seven, and Evelyn just a tiny little thing, barely started to walk. They probably only remember me from history books.'

'That doesn't mean they wouldn't want to know you're alive,' Steve told him softly.

'Steve…'

'You said it yourself that you won't be able to stay under the radar forever,' Steve reminded him. 'Hell, it's a miracle some paparazzi didn't snap a good picture of you yet. Would you rather they found out from you or some news channel?'

Bucky didn't say anything to that, he just swiftly turned and walked towards the bathroom.

'Buck…'

'I'll think about it,' he bit out curtly before closing the door very firmly.

Steve was not about to give up, and Bucky probably also didn't expect him to drop this entirely. Nevertheless, he also knew when Bucky needed some space to think things through, so he let him be for now.

x-x-x

Just like every time a conversation was shelved, during the day they pretended it didn't happen in the first place. It was probably not the best way to deal with things, but Steve found it hard to find a better way. There was some tension lingering between them even still, like Bucky expected him to bring the discussion back on the table any second. So, to be honest, he was glad for the distraction when Tony texted him.

 _32 interview/comment requests pending. Not your secretary, Rogers._

He smiled down at his phone, then pointedly waited ten minutes before answering.

 _Yet you're still giving me these updates._

Things between him and Tony were significantly better now, which sometimes felt like a small miracle. It was impossible for them to exist without snappy remarks, but at least the comments lacked the bite of their old arguments.

 _Get your genetically enhanced ass over here._

Steve laughed at the response. Bucky sat on the couch, head bent over a book. It was probably some fantasy thing. He despised Steve's historical books, all books about real life events in general. The further from reality a story was the better. Their lives were plenty fantastical, but Bucky said there were more than enough old cheesy sci-fi books that got everything wrong. Those were his favourites.

'I'm going over to the Tower, wanna come?'

Bucky huffed and gave Steve an amused look. 'I'm gonna have to pass.'

Shocking response, Bucky still hated being watched by an AI.

'Want me to pick up anything on my way back?' Steve asked then.

'Fruit,' Bucky shrugged. 'Chocolate.'

Another shocking response. Steve smiled and walked over to the couch, probably smiling like a loon.

'Wow, colour me surprised,' he teased and leaned on the back to ask for a kiss. Bucky shook his head, but obliged anyway, hooking two fingers into the neck of Steve's t-shirt to pull his head down.

The tension Steve felt between them almost all day drained away immediately. Sometimes all they needed was a little connection and immediately the world righted itself. He should've done this hours ago.

'Now get out,' Bucky said after a final loud peck on his lips. 'You interrupted the best part.'

'Robots or wizards?' Steve asked.

'Aliens,' Bucky replied.

'Like we don't get enough of those,' Steve told him drily.

'Magical aliens.'

'We definitely had plenty of those,' Steve grinned.

'Go bother your avenging buddies, punk,' Bucky told him firmly, but he was smiling, so the dismissal just warmed Steve's chest to no end.

x-x-x

The Tower felt oddly empty when Steve drove across the public garage to get to the private entrance that Tony reserved for The Avengers. He didn't put much thought into why this might be. The inner workings of Stark Industries were really none of his business and Tony would probably not appreciate it if Steve tried to put his nose where it didn't belong. Avengers-related matters was one thing, Tony's company was something completely different. Steve was happy to keep his distance with the latter.

'Hi HELEN,' Steve greeted the AI as soon as he elevator opened for him.

'I was willing to bet that you would keep him waiting,' HELEN's voice responded. Steve was sometimes still thrown by how much more human-like she was compared to what JARVIS used to be like. It even felt strange to not refer to her as a well… a "she". Steve figured Tony wanted an AI that was as different from JARVIS as possible, for a great many reasons.

'Now when have I ever done that?' Steve asked with a smile.

'I can transfer the list to your phone,' HELEN said, making Steve huff in amusement. He really wanted to know who the inspiration was for HELEN. Sometimes she reminded Steve of Pepper, but only very rarely.

HELEN started the elevator without Steve's input and unsurprisingly, the doors opened again at Tony's lab level.

'Do I want to know what he's working on?'

'I doubt I will be able to explain in simple terms,' HELEN told him.

'Now you're just being mean,' Steve said in return. He didn't know why, but he found himself chatting with this AI a lot more than he ever did with JARVIS.

'In here!' Tony called from… somewhere. Steve started walking in his vague direction, but it took him a few moments to spot him crouching next to… something. Steve was not completely ignorant when it came to technology, but there was a pretty significant difference between your everyday gadgets and a Stark prototype.

'I hope this is not one of your caffeine-induced building-marathons,' Steve commented.

'He did sleep last night,' HELEN reported dutifully.

'See? I've been good,' Tony added. 'Messages are where they usually are, but help me lift this first, would you?'

'Oh, now I see, this isn't about the interview requests at all, you just lured me here for manual labour.'

He still shrugged off his jacket and dropped it in the general direction of some crates that were lined up not that far away, containing God knew what.

'Now would I do something like that?' Tony asked with a cheeky grin.

Steve didn't dignify that with an answer.

'Where can I grab where it won't break?' he asked instead.

Tony tapped the metal top of the thing with his screwdriver.

'It will part in the middle, you don't need to lift the whole thing. It won't take long, I just need to put something in.'

'You do have all kinds of robots for this,' Steve said. 'I know you do.'

'And deprive myself of your unnecessary commentary?'

'Tell me when.'

'Now would be good.'

Steve grabbed the metal where Tony indicated and lifted. It was as heavy as it looked, but not a significant weight for Steve. Tony knelt up and Steve saw him insert some sort of computer panel into the thing, then quickly connecting wires everywhere.

'At least tell me I'm not holding something explosive.'

'Anything's explosive with the right motivation,' Tony commented.

Steve sighed dramatically, that was the best comment he had for that. Tony hummed, sounding way too amused, as he continued to work for another minute.

'Okay, lower it back down, just… centre it, yep right there.'

'I really don't think you needed me for this,' Steve said. 'And what is this thing anyway?'

'Oh… a power bank of sorts, a bit more… advanced version anyway. Not for domestic use, as you can probably guess.'

'Yeah, it would be a bit troublesome to carry it around just to charge your phone.'

Steve was relieved that it was not another one of Tony's "defence" inventions. They all knew that someday something would happen. That war would be coming to their front step and Tony was obsessed with being prepared, he's been for years, even before Leah and Loki basically spelled it out for them.

'Generators are easy to sabotage, but if I make this baby as sturdy as a black box, and probably bury it underground, I can store enough energy to run the tower or the compound for a while. Good for an emergency.'

'I thought your arc reactor could run the tower for at least a year at a time or more.'

'Yes, well… it never hurts to have a backup… and arc reactors can be used, well… misused for other things. That's a lesson Loki taught me at the very beginning with that portal. The worst thing you can do with this thing is drop it on someone.'

Something safe that couldn't be used against them, something that couldn't be turned into a weapon… something that wouldn't cause destruction on its own. Steve understood perfectly.

'By the way, you're not going to believe how many messages you got from all kinds of churches.'

Steve blinked at the sudden change in topic.

'What?'

'The Serpent,' Tony said. 'You're like the only confirmed "real" Christian in the Avengers.' Steve wasn't sure what he meant by the quotation marks he made with his fingers. 'And somehow that means that people want to hear your version of the story.'

'Please tell me you're joking.'

'Nope.'

The Serpent was… a giant mess. The team briefed everyone, and that really meant literally everyone they could, about what they knew about it. Thor being absent didn't help matters, because he would've been the biggest expert they could've thrown at people. Still, Tony and Jane were handling the science community, while Natasha fed information to the intelligence community. The rest of the Avengers were all trying their best to handle the public, because there was shock and panic and just… a mess.

They also didn't have an answer to all the questions that popped up, because even they didn't know the full meaning behind the Serpent taking up permanent residence around the globe. It had something to do with Loki, Bucky was sure of that, and they all remembered what the Serpent looked like in Chthon's world. That piece of information was kept a bit more under wraps, since Loki did lead an invasion at one point. Bringing up his name might've caused some _concern_ with some agencies.

After the initial panic and confusion, the whole thing turned into a spiritual/religious matter, which was not unexpected according to Tony. When science failed the masses, they looked for other sources to get answers. Some were convinced that the end of the world was coming, while others that it meant quite the opposite. Some even claimed that it was actually a Chinese Dragon and not a Serpent. Churches and religious groups were quick to give their opinion to their followers, and there was something about it in the news almost every day, but Steve still didn't get where he fit into that.

'I was there for a lot of press conferences,' Steve pointed out. 'I already gave my side of the story, along with the rest of you. And why do they think I know more than what we already told them?'

'If you ask me, you should ignore most of them,' Tony advised. 'Some of those people are no better than sensationalist journalists.'

'Believe me, I know,' Steve said. He met his fair share of so-called "Christians" since he woke up in this century. They didn't really share Steve ideas about what America was supposed to be like.

Tony walked over to his digital displays and pulled one to the side for Steve, while he went to work on some of the others nearby. Steve saw some blueprints on one of them, while a lot of numbers and equations on another.

'Oh, you were really not joking,' Steve said as he looked at the first few messages.

'Not even a little bit.'

Steve sighed, but dutifully when over them all.

x-x-x

'So, how's Robocop?' Tony asked after more than half an hour of silence. He actually turned away from his screens to look at Steve.

'Pretty good, all things considered,' Steve answered honestly. Yes, considering what Bucky's been through, he's been doing amazingly well. It might not look like it sometimes, but it was still true.

'Hmm, still rocking the honeymoon phase?' came the suggestive question next.

'I am not answering that question.'

'Prude.'

Steve shot him a look. 'Do you honestly want a detailed answer, or are you trying to embarrass me?'

'On second thought, forget I said anything. You've got that stubborn look on your face. You're gonna answer me out of spite, if I'm not careful.'

'Bucky and I are doing fine,' Steve said lightly. 'There are good days and bad days for us both, you know. Life. We're taking one day at a time, focusing on the now.'

It was slightly surreal to talk to Tony about this, but they've been both trying to build up a real friendship. Sometimes they had to move out of their comfort zone for that.

'Yeah,' Tony agreed quietly.

'So… I'm not trying to be a jerk…'

'Oh boy.'

'No, I mean it. Pepper?'

Tony sighed and turned back to his screens.

'Same old,' he said after a moment of silence. 'It's not like anything changed just because I almost died… again. It probably just made it worse.'

'This break seems…'

'Permanent?' Tony asked, glancing back at Steve. 'Seems like it right now. She didn't put the last nail in that particular coffin, but sometimes I get the feeling she's just trying to… I don't know… be gentle about it. I don't really know anymore.'

'I'm sorry, Tony.'

'Yeah, me too.'

Steve awkwardly looked around the lab, trying to figure out what to say next. He went through his messages and it didn't seem like Tony needed more help, but still…

'Hey, you're hungry? I'm hungry. When was the last time you ate?'

'Too long,' HELEN answered before Tony could open his mouth.

'Okay, food then,' Steve decided, grabbing Tony's shoulder to pull him away from his screens. To Tony's credit, he didn't put up much of a fight.

x-x-x

Steve stayed at the Tower much longer than he planned, but he still managed to get some shopping done. Bucky might be grumpy about not getting his fruit and chocolate in time, but he was probably not worried that Steve was out longer than expected. Steve liked it when he was grumpy about such trivial things. It showed how much he healed since he came back.

'Hey, Buck, I'm back!' He called out as he shut the door. He put down his shopping bag to unlace his boots. He was only greeted with silence.

'Buck?' he called again as he made his way towards the kitchen. Still silence.

Right.

There was no note. No text either. Maybe he just got tired of waiting for Steve and went out to buy some stuff himself. A note would've been nice, but still, it was not the end of the world.

An hour later Steve was a bit more miffed about the lack of note. It was already getting dark and it would've been nice to know whether Bucky wanted to have dinner at home or not. Steve settled for making food for two and putting Bucky's aside for when he got back. He sent a quick text to Bucky to let him know about the food, and that he got him the fruit and chocolate he asked for.

Two hours later Steve sent another text, telling him that he's going to eat all the chocolate himself, but he still got no answer. He firmly told himself that there was nothing to worry about.

At the three hour mark Steve tried to give him a ring, but it went straight to voicemail. Maybe his battery was dead… not that it ever happened before, Bucky was meticulous about being able to reach Steve at any time. He wondered if he was just being paranoid as it started drizzling outside.

He kept looking around in the apartment to find some clues, anything that would tell him what Bucky did before he left. His book was abandoned on the couch, no bookmark between the pages. An empty cup was left in the sink, but that was normal. Bucky took his jacket, his phone and keys, but nothing else. It gave Steve the feeling that he left in a hurry, which was concerning.

Steve's been home for more than four hours when the rain got worse. It was late at night now and he had to admit to himself that he was more than a little worried. Bucky did take off sometimes on his own, but he usually left a note or sent a text, and he never ignored Steve's phone calls. He wasn't worried about Bucky's physical safety per se, more his state of mind. Steve initially doubted that anything could've happened in the apartment to trigger him, but now he wasn't so sure.

He wondered if it was too soon to call someone. Even in his head it almost sounded foolish. A man like Bucky could very well take care of himself, especially for just a few hours, and he's been gone longer before, especially after waking up from a bad dream in the middle of the night. But this was unlike him, it didn't fit his habits. Maybe Steve just worried too much, or maybe something was very wrong. In their lives, it was usually the latter, and Steve was never much for just sitting around.

The front door banged open just when Steve decided to grab his coat and head out himself. All his muscles tensed up immediately as he jumped up from the sofa.

'Steve!' Bucky called. It was a relief to hear his voice, but his tone was anything but reassuring.

He was drenched from the rain when Steve finally came face-to-face with him and he had his jacket wrapped around someone in his arms, someone small.

'Is that a kid?' Steve asked, immediately alarmed.

'Get me the first aid kit,' Bucky asked as he marched into the living room. Steve didn't need to be told twice.

'Should I call an ambulance?' he called while he grabbed the nearest kit, which was the one in the bedroom.

'No, just bruises and a few cuts,' Bucky said, only raising his voice enough for Steve to hear him.

Steve's mind was running a mile a minute, but he shoved aside his questions for now. He opened the kit before putting it down on the floor next to Bucky. He also knelt down on the carpet.

It was a kid, a boy to be exact, small and slender, pale white and obviously too cold from the rain, because his lips were almost blue. His black hair was sticking to his head. He also had a big bruise on his forehead that was probably going to look worse in an hour.

'I'll get a towel,' he offered. He also grabbed his smallest t-shirt and some shorts, because he was sure they shouldn't keep the kid in his water-logged clothes for too long.

Bucky cut the t-shirt the boy was wearing at the shoulder and bandaged the wound that was on his collar bone on the right side.

'What in the hell happened?' Steve finally asked.

'Some shady characters,' Bucky said as he looked at the kid's face. 'Okay, this actually might be a concussion. He got knocked about a bit before I got there.'

Right… later. It was best to focus on the boy for now. Bucky leaned closer and touched his face, then moved his hand to his uninjured shoulder to shake him a little.

'Hey, can you hear me? Wake up.'

The boy didn't respond at first and Steve opened his mouth to suggest an ambulance again… and possibly the police, when the kid shook violently, his eyes popping open.

'Hey, easy… easy, you're fine,' Bucky said right away, putting his hands up in front of him. 'Remember me?'

The boy stared at him, his chest rising and falling rapidly, like a panicking little bird. He was shaking too, but that might have been just his cold wet clothes. The boy moved to pull further away, but he abruptly slumped back down on the couch, putting a hand on his side. Damn, they needed to check his ribs.

'You're safe,' Bucky told him. The boy kept staring at him with widened eyes, probably not even noticing that Steve was just a few feet away from the couch, towel and clothes still in his hands.

'So… remember me?' Bucky asked again.

The boy frowned, hesitating.

'You stopped them…' he said then. Steve was thrown immediately, because the kid did not sound like he was from around here. The accent was not quite British, but definitely something European.

'No, before that,' Bucky asked the he wiggled his metal fingers to pull the boy's attention to them. He got a big frown again and the boy's blue lips thinned as he stared at Bucky's metal arm. Steve was concerned about the shaking, but they couldn't really help him while the boy was this scared.

'James?' he said then, but it sounded like a question, like he wasn't really sure.

Bucky gave him a quick smile, but Steve was just confused. He had so many questions right now.

'That's right,' he said. The boy didn't look too reassured though, if anything, he looked more confused and cautious.

'I… I want to go,' he said then.

'You're hurt, pal,' Bucky told him. The boy looked down at himself, considering it.

'We only want to help, promise,' Steve said, finally drawing attention to himself. The boy startled badly, jolting his hurt shoulder and hissing in pain. 'Sorry, sorry,' Steve apologised quickly. 'I brought you a towel.'

The kid grumbled something under his nose, but it was too quiet to make out what, then he looked up with a glare on his face. His green eyes were basically spitting fire at him, and Steve was struck with an odd impression of familiarity. Did he meet this kid before? The boy glared at him for a second, then his eyes widened again, this time in surprise.

'Are you Captain America?' he asked. 'I saw you on TV once.'

Okay, that was good. Maybe this would put his mind at ease, make him feel a bit safer.

'Yes, I am,' Steve nodded with a smile and held out the towel for him. The boy took it, still staring at his face. 'You got hit on the head, from what I gathered.'

'This is very strange,' the kid said.

'I don't think you actually realise how much,' Bucky said. 'Let me look at your ribs, all right?'

The kid wiped his face then leaned back down on the couch.

'Fine,' he agreed, sounding very reluctant. Steve just noticed that his clothes seen better days. Everything was worn and scruffy and a little too big. There was also a small backpack half under Bucky's leather jacket, stuffed full with too many things.

Bucky gently probed at the kid's ribs, making sure nothing was cracked. The boy did hiss at one point, but Bucky didn't look too concerned, so it was probably just a bruise.

'You remember your name?' Bucky asked then.

The kid hesitated again, staring up at the ceiling for a moment or two.

'Some call me Luke,' came the odd answer.

Bucky huffed as he pulled the towel from his hand, unfolding it.

'Eh, close enough, I suppose,' he said. He dropped the towel over the kid's head then took the dry clothes from Steve.

It took Steve a moment, it just didn't click right away, but then that odd familiarity struck him again… No… friggin'… way…

'You have got to be kidding me,' he said.

x-x-x

 _To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Bucky never truly understood magic. Sure, he knew that the power that lived under the skin of people was an integral part of them, just like their flesh and blood, but though he witnessed it and was protected by it, he never wielded it. He wouldn't have called it more than passing familiarity.

Yet, there was a tug in his chest that he couldn't call anything else but magic. There was no other rational explanation for it. Something pulled on him, burned around him, called to him. And inexplicably, the sensation reminded him of Loki. Crisp like a winter morning, smouldering like old burnt wood, a hint of metal, and just a touch of warm light. Something he recognised, but could not name.

He was almost by the Navy Yard, when the rain got much worse. If he focused enough, he could hear the wind cutting wild waves into the East River. That's when the tug got more insistent, clawing at him. _Hurry_ , it shouted… _run!_

He tried to avoid the main streets, not that there were many people out and about in this neighbourhood. It had enough old buildings and broken street lights to make people think twice about taking a stroll, especially in this weather. There was only the sound of rain hitting the pavement and the noise of traffic in the distance. But if not for his enhanced hearing, he wouldn't have caught the shouts.

'What the fuck you mean he knocked him out?!' a man yelled angrily. It sounded exactly like what Bucky was looking for, in a way. Trouble, basically. Loki always meant trouble.

'There! Get the fuck up there!' the guy shouted again, yelling at somebody.

Bucky finally found the street about half a minute later. There was a dark school yard on one side behind a metal fence, and a tall building across from it. A guy, probably the one that was shouting, was standing right in the middle of the street, gesturing at something on the building, two others behind him.

It only took Bucky a moment to notice the movement on the fire escape two floors up. There was some struggle, or a chase, he didn't know. He barely stood there for three seconds when something fell from the metal staircase. A body too small to be an adult's, a small aborted shout of fear, and Bucky was moving before the body hit the pavement.

He was mostly on auto-pilot, not that these guys required much of his expertise.

'Who the fu-…?!' one of the men exclaimed when Bucky was suddenly right next to them, but he didn't really have much time to say anything else.

They were not really a priority, they were just in the way. The first two did not see him coming, so they hit the ground smoothly, one punch, one kick. The third one tried to put up a fight, but Bucky grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back with ease. The man shouted in pain, then in alarm, when Bucky shoved him aside. He hit the pavement hard, and hopefully had enough sense to stay down.

Bucky now saw the body more clearly, and it really was a kid. The small chest was still rising and falling quickly, but he needed help. Bucky had a flash of memory from times long gone, about a very different alley in New York.

He heard the click of a gun and he turned and lifted his arm to block the bullet without second thought. The guy who tried to shoot him was the one he kneed in the stomach. The one that was yelling before. Clearly, Bucky should've hit him a lot harder.

He was now staring at Bucky with widened eyes over the barrel of the gun, shocked that the man he just shot was still standing, like nothing happened. He could've killed them… it would've been easy. He was armed. All of them, including the guy still up on the fire escape, could be dead in under twenty seconds.

But they were not his priority. No, that was the small pained moan that reached his ears from behind him. Bucky also he didn't need a trail of bodies causing him trouble right now. He needed to get the kid out of here, preferably before anyone else showed up… like the police.

The guy got over his shock and pulled the trigger again. Bucky shifted his arm to block the bullet that was clearly aimed at his head, then closed in on the man in two long strides. He grabbed the gun and the guy's hand, then closed his metal fingers tightly. The man yelled in pain as two of his fingers snapped, his flesh digging into the metal of the gun, his blood staining Bucky's fingers.

'If you want to keep breathing, then get out of here,' Bucky warned. 'Now.'

'Yes, all right, yes!' the man hastily promised, face scrunched up in pain as he tried to pull his hand away from Bucky's immovable grip.

'Please yes, we're leaving… please goddammit,' he pleaded then, and only then did Bucky loosen his grip… he kept the gun though.

He turned his back on them, and sure enough, they were running. Bucky will remember their faces.

Bucky hurried over to the boy to check him over. There was blood staining his shoulder, he could see that even with the amount of rainwater soaked into his clothes. He was unconscious, but his eyelids were fluttering, like he was trying hard to wake up.

'Hey, you're fine,' Bucky said to him, even though he knew the boy probably couldn't hear him. He reached out to cradle his head, to check his skull and neck for any injuries. As soon as his metal fingers touched the pale skin of the boy's cheek, the little rune on the back of his metal hand lit up with a small soft glow.

Bucky stared at the boy's face again. That tug, that little whisper, it told him he was right.

'Took you long enough,' he commented. A backpack was squished under the kid, still on his back, so Bucky quickly moved it while he checked whether anything was broken, if he could move him.

Green eyes finally popped open just after Bucky checked the vertebrae in his neck and his skull.

'Wha… what?' he mumbled.

'I got here just in time, huh?' Bucky said. 'You'll be fine, relax.'

That only got him two heavy blinks, then the boy was out again.

'You really are a pain in the ass,' Bucky said as he scooped him up from the ground and grabbed his backpack. He was incredibly light, which felt wrong for several reasons. Loki's always been larger than life, so this was just surreal.

x-x-x

'But how can you be so sure?' Steve asked for the fourth time. He kept his voice low, even though they moved over to the kitchen. Loki fell asleep on the couch again. Bucky planned to wake him up within the hour, since he probably had a concussion. A real bed would have been better for him than the sofa… or a hospital bed, but Bucky was a little reluctant.

'Look, I didn't just go wandering around the city for no reason,' Bucky told him. He lifted his metal hand. The little rune was almost impossible to spot right now, and the glowing stopped, but Steve understood. 'He was in trouble. He must've tapped into his magic… maybe just instinctively. I know it's him.'

'He looks human to me,' Steve insisted. 'I don't think Loki would bruise this easily.'

Bucky gave him a look. 'He fell off a building, two floors up. If he were a normal kid, he would've cracked his skull, he only has a little scratch and bruised ribs.'

'You said he got knocked around _a bit_!' Bucky wasn't sure whether Steve was horrified or just shocked… maybe both. 'We need to get him to a hospital. Right now!'

'He's…'

'Maybe he's Loki, maybe he's not, but I don't want to take chances with a kid's life, all right?'

He had a point there.

'He remembers me,' Bucky offered. 'I never told him my name, he recognised me.'

'Still needs a doctor.'

'We could take him to Stark's,' Bucky said then.

'Why are you so against hospitals?' Steve asked. Bucky thought that was obvious.

'Because if he looks less human on the inside than on the outside, there will be questions. And your face will be plastered all over the news if you march into a hospital with some kid.'

Steve made a face, but at least Bucky didn't need to elaborate on why a hospital would be bad… or at least risky.

'I'll give Tony a call,' Steve said. 'And you should wake him up, in case he really does have a concussion.'

Bucky just gave him a nod and walked back to the living room.

'Do you have a doctor you can contact this late?' Steve asked quietly on the phone. Bucky couldn't hear Stark's response and he didn't try either.

'Yeah, but it's not me or Bucky,' Steve clarified. 'But we need a doctor who's not going to ring the press or run off with possibly-alien blood.'

Stark's reaction must've been pretty dramatic, Bucky imagined.

'It… might be Loki-related,' Steve said then.

Loki stirred on the couch, so Bucky sat down on the coffee table to be in his line of sight. Bucky's hair was still damp from the rain, he didn't bother drying it, just tucked it behind his ears to get it out of his face.

'Let me know if you feel like throwing up,' he told him.

'I'm fine,' the boy scowled. And oh boy, it was a familiar scowl. It almost made Bucky snort, because there was nothing at all intimidating about it right now. He caught himself staring at him again. After he noticed the similarities, he couldn't stop seeing them, the eyes, the nose, the shape of his jaw… it was undoubtedly him.

'You're acting very odd, you know that, right?' the kid asked.

Bucky lifted an eyebrow.

'I'll tell you later why it's funny that you said that,' he told him.

Steve's phone rang again, which made both Bucky and Loki turn and stare at him. Steve gave them a weird looking smile and backed out of the living room.

'Yeah?'

Then he was back in a sec.

'It's Benny… Benny Rogers,' he said, offering the phone. 'The-'

'The nurse with the neck tattoo,' Bucky said. He worked for Stark, he was there when they got back to New York after the mess with Chthon and the Darkholders. He was remarkably immune to super-human nonsense… and Bucky's glower.

'Yes, he wants to go over some things,' Steve told him. 'I'll grab us a few things in the meantime.'

Bucky took the phone. 'You have questions,' he said.

'Yes, hello,' the nurse greeted, nonplussed by Bucky again. He didn't sound nervous either, which was another thing Bucky liked about him. 'Mr. Stark said there is someone in need of medical assistance, but he didn't ask you for details. I want to know how serious the situation is. Can you answer a few questions, or pass over the phone?'

'Sure. It's a boy, he's…' Bucky thought about it. Loki was at least 4 feet right now, maybe a bit taller, even if he was on the slender side. 'He's maybe eight years old or nine, it's hard to tell.'

'What happened to him?'

'He was attacked,' Bucky said plainly. 'There's a shoulder wound, but it was nothing serious, we've seen to it. Doesn't need stitches. One of his ribs might be bruised, but not broken. He fell from quite a height, so a concussion is possible.'

'How high?'

'Second floor, and yes, his spine is fine.'

The nurse didn't sound shocked, but then again, he was a nurse. He just started shooting off questions.

'All right, are there any visible head wounds?'

'Just scratches, nothing looks too bad.'

'Is he conscious?'

'He was out after the fall, but he's up now. He doesn't look nauseous or dizzy, just… dazed I guess, or just really tired.'

Loki gave him an annoyed look, which was also very familiar, but Bucky ignored him. The kid mostly just looked confused, but Bucky didn't think that was due to any head trauma. If he really didn't remember, then there was a lot for him to be confused about. He seemed to remember Bucky, but he obviously didn't know how.

'Headache?'

Bucky looked questioningly at the boy, who stared back at him.

'I'm fine,' he said with a stubborn look. Right.

'I think so,' Bucky said. He noticed him squinting, even though the lights were not too bright.

'Is he breathing okay?' Benny asked. 'Any coughing or tightness around the chest?'

'His breathing is fine,' Bucky confirmed.

'Any abdominal pain?'

'Hard to say with the ribs, I don't think so.'

'Is his skin purple anywhere?'

'Small bruises,' Bucky said. 'Most of them are red, not purple.'

'Pain anywhere else in the body?' Benny asked next.

'Does it hurt anywhere else?' Bucky asked, looking at Loki again, who didn't say anything. Bucky tried to convey with his face alone how ridiculous he was right now. He must've succeeded, because he got an answer.

'I just hit my knees,' Loki said finally. 'It's fine. I can walk.'

'He hit his knees,' Bucky repeated. 'He says he can walk.' He put a lot of doubt in his tone at the second part, which earned him another scowl.

'Look, I hate to say it, but I think you know you should have taken him to an emergency room after a fall like that,' Benny said. 'I mean, he might not have internal bleeding, but I can't exactly say for sure over the phone.'

'That's where this gets a bit more complicated,' Bucky told him.

'Mr. Stark said something about aliens?' Benny said with a questioning tilt in his voice.

'Look,' Bucky wanted to keep this brief. 'Steve wants him checked out, because he might be worse off than he looks like, but I've seen blunt trauma before and he doesn't look hurt. I'm not even convinced he actually has a concussion.'

He knew exactly how a normal human of comparable size should look like after a fall like this… he didn't like to remember the details of why he knew that.

'I am fine,' the kid told him again.

'Right, okay,' Benny sighed on the phone. 'From what you told me, it will be fine to move him again, but we have to examine him. If there's any internal bleeding, he might not feel it right away.'

'Sounds good to me.'

'Mr. Stark will be there in a few minutes,' Benny said. 'I'll ring Dr Karim and get things ready for you over here. She should be here by the time you get to the tower.'

'Thanks,' Bucky remembered to say.

'Don't mention it,' the nurse said before he hung up.

Bucky put the phone down on the coffee table next to him, then just looked at the kid again.

'I don't understand what's happening,' Loki said.

'I'm your friend, okay?' Bucky told him. 'You were in trouble, so I helped you.'

'But how did you know?'

Bucky decided to change strategy.

'I'll make you a deal,' he said. 'Tony will be here in a minute to give us a ride to the tower…'

'What tower?' the boy questioned.

'Stark Tower.'

'You mean… Iron Man?' he looked a lot more shocked than he did when he recognised Steve.

'Yes, Iron Man… saw him on TV too?'

It was Loki's turn to stare at Bucky.

'This is really… _really strange_.'

Bucky huffed out a small laugh.

'Yep, and it's going to get stranger, believe me.'

The boy just looked thoughtful at that.

'So, what's the deal?'

'Med eval first, and when the Doc says you're fine, then we can do the whole twenty questions game.'

'Just twenty questions?'

'As many questions as you have,' Bucky shrugged. 'Trust me, I know you don't like those holes in your memory.'

Bucky wouldn't say Loki relaxed after that, but at least he didn't look like he was still looking for escape routes. Of course, Bucky didn't miss the way he was still clutching his overstuffed backpack with one hand. That was eerily familiar as well, but it didn't remind him of the old Loki, but his own past. He couldn't trust anyone or anything after Hydra, he was always ready to run, his whole life in one backpack. The kid looked small curled up on the couch like this, a little lost too maybe. More curious than trusting, but Bucky would take it.

x-x-x

The kid was persistent and refused to be picked up from the sofa initially, despite looking dead on his feet. Bucky was sure that he did not sleep much or at all in recent days. There was no point arguing with him, so he just he kept close while the kid got ready. He kept Steve's t-shirt on, which he was swimming in, and refused to give his bag to Bucky either.

He was barely out of the living room when he swayed on his feet, his knees buckling. Bucky caught him before he could hit the floor and picked him up, settling him securely on his hip.

'Stubborn little bastard,' Bucky grumbled quietly. The damn kid was too light, Bucky noted again. Steve picked up the dropped backpack and led the way outside.

Stark's car pulled up less than a minute after they stepped out onto the street.

Steve took the front seat next to Tony after tossing Loki's and his own bag in the trunk, while Bucky laid Loki down on the backseat and got in after him. Tony turned around in his seat to stare at them for a moment.

'Now here's a surprise,' he said. 'But there's a lot less blood than I expected.'

Bucky just gave him a look.

'Okay… so he's…' Tony gestured vaguely at the kid and glanced questioningly at Steve.

'Can you drive and talk at the same time?' Bucky asked.

'Fine,' Tony huffed and turned back around to put the car back in gear. 'By the way, this sounded like a much bigger emergency on the phone.'

'We just want to make sure he's okay,' Steve told him.

'About that, who is he again?' Tony asked. 'Not that I'm opposed to random acts of heroism in the middle of the night.'

'Loki,' Bucky said plainly. There was a pause.

'Well, I'll be damned,' Tony commented, looking at them both in the rear-view mirror. He didn't look nearly as shocked as Bucky would've expected, but Stark always knew how to roll with the punches. 'You're sure?'

'He remembers me,' Bucky cut in before Steve could say a thing.

'Yes, we are reasonably sure,' Steve relented.

'Right, in that case, I get your hospital concern now,' Tony told them. 'Where'd you find him?'

'Irishtown,' Bucky said curtly.

'What in the world was he doing there?' Steve asked, turning a bit around again.

'Beats me,' Bucky shrugged. He still had no idea what Loki was doing over there, so close to the Navy Yard. He had to ask him later… about those men too.

'So, I guess you also don't know how he ended up in New York in the first place,' Stark guessed.

'Or how long he's been here,' Steve nodded.

'I'm actually more interested in why he's pint-sized,' Stark continued. 'Is this the same resurrection thing as before? I mean, he did look like a woman at one point, we all remember that, right?'

'No, it's different,' Bucky said. 'He was sometimes confused when he woke up, but he always remembered who he was.'

But then his death was different too. Last they saw him, he was stuck in a destroyed world, on the precipice of an endless void, chained to a demon god. There was no body left either; he was just gone. Gaea told Steve that he was not alive, but he still existed, whatever that meant… and now he was back.

'Right… this doesn't smell like trouble at all,' Stark commented wryly.

'Regardless, he needs help,' Steve said firmly.

'That is blatantly obvious,' Tony agreed, glancing in the rear-view mirror again.

x-x-x

Dr Karim was just as polite and efficient as Bucky remembered her to be. Steve thanked her kindly for helping this late, but she just smiled then ushered them all out of the room while Benny settled Loki in a bed.

Stark vanished swiftly after a minute, talking rapidly to HELEN about several protocols. He was probably upping his security with Loki and Bucky in the building. Smart man.

Bucky just leaned to the wall to stare at the closed milk-coloured glass door and waited with his arms crossed. He had no intention of going anywhere. Steve stayed with him. They did not talk at all, but the silence was comforting, just like the warmth of Steve's body so close to his own, and the sound of his breathing. It relaxed him.

It only took about thirty minutes for the door to slide open again. Dr Karim didn't look too grim, which was a good sign.

'Right, the injuries are a lot more superficial than what I expected from Benny's summary,' she said. 'Scrapes and bruises mostly, and his ribs are definitely all okay too.'

'He kept passing out,' Bucky pointed out.

'Not due to trauma,' the doctor said. 'Exhaustion, possibly dehydration. I'd wager malnutrition as well, but the blood test is still running. I can't determine his exact age, but he is definitely underweight for his height. We put him on IV to rehydrate him, and to get some vitamins and minerals in him.'

'I think he might've been on the streets,' Bucky interjected. The clothes, the bag… there were many signs.

'Yes, that seems likely,' Dr Karim nodded.

'And did you notice anything… you know, unusual about him?' Steve asked.

'Well, the shoulder wound seemed rather mild. You either went overboard with the bandages or he heals rather quickly.'

'It was a knife cut,' Bucky said. 'Not deep enough for stitches, but long.'

'You also told Benny that he fell from a great height,' Dr Karim said. 'But if I had not known, I wouldn't have been able to tell. Still, at first glance there is nothing out of the ordinary about him.'

Yes, but considering everything, that was obviously not the case.

'Once Benny's done, you are welcome to go in, if you'd like, but he's most likely going to be asleep for a while. He needs to eat when he wakes up, but Benny will have everything sorted.'

'Yeah, thanks for all this,' Steve thanked her again.

'It's what I'm here for,' she smiled. It looked honest. 'I'll be back once I have the blood test results.'

They both waited silently as she walked away, and then just stood there for another few moments.

'Well, this was quite a night,' Steve broke the silence.

'And it's hardly over, but go to sleep if you want,' Bucky said.

'I'm good,' Steve shrugged.

They stood in silence for another few moments. Something nagged at Bucky's brain and he had to say something.

'Hey… sorry for not calling you.'

Steve smiled. 'It's all right…'

'You worried.'

He could picture Steve sitting on the sofa, trying to call him and text him, getting stressed when he got no answer. He felt real shitty about it now that the insistent tug in his chest quieted down.

'I did, but it was an emergency, so I get it.' He gave Bucky a smile again and bumped his shoulder with his own, like a big softie. Damn, but Bucky loved this man. 'Make it up to me later?'

Bucky smiled back at him. Oh, he most certainly would.

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Tony left Steve and Barnes alone while the kid slept; he had better things to do. He had no plans to go back to sleep, but at least he was well used to all-nighters. Pepper might've been the CEO of Stark Industries, but Tony still has a ton of projects from R&D to supervise, and his own projects to work on… plus everything Avengers-related. He drank enough coffee that would have woken up a dead horse, then buried himself in his work.

HELEN's updates about what was happening in his tower registered in his mind, but didn't distract him from his work.

Sometime after the sun came up, HELEN told him that she updated Vision and the twins about the current situation. She also inquired whether Tony wanted to inform the rest of the Avengers. Tony told her that it could wait until they knew more about what was going on. There was no reason to ring the alarms just yet.

Breakfast mysteriously appeared on his workbench, but HELEN was silent about how it got there, so it was probably Pietro. He was often the accomplice when it came to his cup being refilled with either coffee or tea, or food appearing in his workspace. He was a good kid. Sometimes Tony didn't even catch Pietro's signature blue trail. He swore the kid was getting faster somehow.

Sometime around midday he decided to take a break. He went over the doctor's report about the boy while he took the elevator down to medical.

To be honest, Tony wasn't sure what to make of his new unexpected house guest. The name Loki usually meant some very specific things, namely chaos and destruction, snide remarks, and family drama a mountain-high. Yet, when he looked at the boy passed out on the bed, the usual definitions of the word "Loki" did not come to mind.

'Rogers?' he asked.

'Went up to grab some food,' Barnes said. He was casually sitting on the sofa in the room. Well, as casual as Barnes ever was in the tower.

'Kid's slightly malnourished,' Tony said, and handed the tablet to Barnes. 'Nothing too severe. No sickness, no infections, yadda yadda…'

'And?'

He must've gotten better at reading Barnes than he realised, because he knew exactly what he meant.

'And that's it. The Doc only wanted to check his health, not his DNA. His blood's red and looks like human blood at first glance, but you know… underage patient, ethics, that sort of thing. She did the necessary checks. I told her we'll try to shout at the sky for big brother.'

Barnes huffed, and yeah, that's exactly how Tony felt about it too. They had no sure-fire way to contact Thor. The best they could hope for was that someone in Asgard was watching and listening. It was less than ideal.

'I'm running a search too, but I doubt he will be in any system,' Tony added. 'Still, if he's been around for a while, there might be a trace of him somewhere.'

New York was a big place and probably nobody really noticed one random kid, even if he showed up out of nowhere. Still, it was best to be thorough.

'I can tell you what the men that were chasing him looked like,' Barnes said. 'Guys like that probably have a criminal record somewhere.'

Grown men who had no qualms about pulling a knife on an eight-year-old, then throwing him off a building… yes, there was bound to be something.

'HELEN can throw together some facial composites,' Tony said. He didn't doubt Barnes would remember enough details to get some decent pictures. 'Also, CCTV.'

'Hudson Ave,' Barnes supplied.

'HELEN?'

' _On it, boss_ ,' the AI confirmed.

x-x-x

When HELEN informed him that Loki was awake, the sun was already going down again. Tony felt like he really should've slept sometime during the day, but his brain kept running in circles. Yes, he also got some work done, but he kept going back to the damn medical report.

Barnes gave HELEN the required information for the facial composites a little while ago, so that search was going as well now. But again, it was a big city, so he wasn't shocked that nothing turned up yet.

'You didn't sleep at all, did you?' Wanda intercepted him as soon as he was out of his workshop.

'Work.'

'Bull… what's bothering you?' she paused, tilting her head. 'Is it the boy?'

'You know who that boy is,' Tony reminded her.

'I don't,' she said, which finally made him stop. 'He's a boy… small and vulnerable. Loki was neither.'

Yes, he realised that the second he looked at him, bruised and limp on his car's backseat, then again when he read the doctor's assessment of his health.

'And I think that's all you can see too,' Wanda continued. 'Just a hurt boy. But why does that bother you?'

Tony sighed and started walking again. Sometimes he appreciated that Wanda wanted to be his friend, but she regularly refused to show her care through jokes, banter, and sarcasm… like a normal person.

'I don't think he's a threat. Do you think that's crazy?' he finally asked. He should be more alert, he should feel wary, he should feel threatened. He expected certain thoughts and emotions to surface in him the second he heard Loki's name, but none of them came now. It was unnerving how calm he was about all this.

She considered him for a moment.

'I think you should do what feels right.'

'Not helpful,' Tony scowled. She gave him a wide smile.

'Want me to go with you… see if I can see any threat?'

That was not a bad idea. Loki was magic, and Wanda understood magic more than any of them, save for Strange.

' _I also found something interesting,_ ' HELEN told him. ' _It is at least a 90% match._ '

'The second I'm not in my workshop,' Tony rolled his eyes, then he got his phone out, because he knew HELEN would transfer everything to it right away.

Wanda stepped closer and Tony turned his phone a little to allow her to read the screen as well. That was… not what he expected.

'Definitely interesting,' Wanda hummed.

x-x-x

Steve was back, but he kept his distance from the bed, while Barnes was sitting on it, speaking to the kid. There was a tray over the boy's lap with food and a big smoothie on it, probably a pound of fruit and other nutrients squeezed into it. Just what the doctor ordered.

The boy looked up when the door opened and then he just stared at Tony with big green eyes. His gaze shifted to Wanda for a moment, then settled right back on Tony immediately. It was a bit weird, but the kid didn't look freaked out, so Tony tried to ignore it.

Before he could bring up what HELEN found Wanda strolled across the room to sit down on the bed across from Barnes.

'Hi, I'm Wanda,' she greeted.

There was a pause, then the kid finally looked away from Tony and grabbed his smoothie, giving Wanda a look.

'Hi,' he settled on in the end.

'And what is your name then?' Wanda asked.

'Luke,' the boy said.

'Just because others decided to call you that, it doesn't mean it's your name,' Barnes told him quietly.

'It sounded good enough,' the kid shrugged.

'It's still not your name, is it?' Bucky asked in return. 'And I think you know that.'

'Well, you have a better one?'

'Sure, you're Loki.'

There was a moment of silence, then the kid sucked in a harsh breath.

'That's it,' he said quietly, in a disbelieving whisper, then louder, shoving his tray away. Barnes grabbed it before anything could fall off it. 'That's it!'

He fell abruptly silent then, staring intently at nothing, maybe trying to remember something.

'I don't… I don't get any of this,' he said. Now he just sounded lost.

Barnes seemed to be contemplating how to continue, but Wanda beat him to it.

'It might be very confusing right now, but we're best equipped to help you figure this out. Does that sound all right?'

'I suppose,' the kid said dubiously, looking over to Barnes, who gave him a nod.

'So,' Tony walked a bit closer. The kid's eyes immediately locked onto him again. 'You feel up to answering a few questions?'

'I thought I would be asking the questions,' the boy said, looking back at Barnes again.

'Those two things are not mutually exclusive,' Barnes said.

'But let's start with this,' Tony said. 'Someone is looking for you, through official channels. So, I want you to tell me whether he has anything to do with the guys that will no doubt have nightmares about Barnes for quite a while.'

'There's an actual missing person report?' Steve asked. Tony understood his surprise, this was the last thing he expected. He pulled out his phone and brought up the missing person report that was filed less than 24 hours ago. The description fit the kid perfectly, and now even the name "Luke" made sense.

'Does the name Malcolm Ducasse ring any bells?' Tony asked.

The kid groaned and leaned back on his pillows, crossing his arms.

'I'd say yes,' Barnes commented, standing up to put the tray on the floor. 'Who is he?'

'A bleeding heart who won't mind his own business,' the kid replied. 'Ignore him.'

'I can't help but feel there's a story here,' Tony said.

'Nothing for the Avengers to care about,' The look he gave Tony was a lot less friendly this time. 'So why am I here?'

'You're not just some street kid,' Barnes said. 'You probably know that.'

He did not talk like your average eight-year-old, didn't really act like one either, but then again, Tony never did either, so that didn't mean anything on its own.

'You know me,' the boy said. 'I know you… somehow.'

'We know who you used to be,' Barnes said, which just made the kid frown again of course. 'What do you remember?'

'I don't know what I'm supposed to remember.'

'What's your oldest memory then?' Barnes asked.

'Cold,' Loki said. 'Then the sun came up, between the buildings, it was all wet… then-' He abruptly fell silent, his face closing off. He stared at Barnes for a moment, then glanced around the room, shooting quick furtive glances at all of them. His lips thinned as he thought about something, whatever it was, Tony doubted he would say it.

'Were you looking for me?' he asked quietly instead. 'If you… if… if…'

He looked around again as he sucked in a deep breath, more guarded now, his eyes wide and shiny, his movements jerky. His fingers were white around the plastic cup with the half-drank smoothie in it. Tony knew that look. This was not going to work.

'Hey Cap, Wanda, come with me for a sec, will you?' he spoke up and immediately headed for the door. The both gave him a questioning look, but followed nonetheless. Barnes didn't look away from the kid.

Tony sighed when the door closed behind them and rubbed his face, then turned to look at the other two.

'He wasn't going to talk with all of us in there,' he told them. 'Maybe Barnes alone can get more out of him.'

'To be honest, I have a tough time reading him,' Steve said. 'But you're probably right.'

'So, what then?' Wanda asked. 'Should we find this man that's looking for him?'

They way Loki reacted, this Malcolm guy could probably tell them a lot. Maybe not about the circumstances that brought the kid to New York, but the things that happened after. The kid had to have been here for at least a couple of weeks now, maybe longer. Hell, maybe he popped back as soon as that damn Serpent appeared. Who knew with magic?

'I'll check his background, but he's probably not a threat,' Tony said.

He did not intend to contact him yet, but they needed all information they could get their hands on to put this picture together.

'The boy would have to stay here,' Wanda said. 'It's a dangerous world out there for those that are… special. And those men probably did intend to kill him.'

Tony wouldn't have been able to anticipate this just 24 hours ago. They were actually talking about needing to protect _Loki_. He should be used to the madness that was his life by now. He looked at Cap.

'I guess you and Barnes are staying too?' he asked.

Steve just looked blank for one second, then huffed.

'Probably. If you don't mind,' he said.

Tony waved him off. 'I have more space than I know what to do with.'

'I'll let Vision and Pietro know,' Wanda said. 'Just call if you need me for anything.'

'Sure,' Tony nodded.

'And just so you know,' she added. 'I don't think he's a threat either. There is nothing else in there, only a boy.'

'You read his mind?' Steve asked.

'No, I just looked at it,' she told him. 'I don't know what he knows, or what he remembers, but we needed to know if only he was in that body.'

Tony… should've thought of that. They all saw what demons were capable of. Maybe Chthon was not going to be a problem again in their lifetime, but there were others. Hell, Tony regularly got nervous about the possibility of seeing Kierrok's yellow eyes staring at him from a familiar face. Deal or no deal.

'I think I'll be leaving a message for Strange,' he said. 'You know, just in case.'

'I would,' Wanda agreed before she walked off.

Tony turned to Steve. 'So, I guess you can just…'

'Don't tell me to rest or sleep,' Steve cut him off. 'Just give me something to do. I'll help digging.'

Tony grinned. 'You'll regret saying that.'

x-x-x

'The police database is a _mess_ ,' Steve groaned. Tony smiled, but refrained from laughing at him.

'Hey, you wanted to help,' Tony pointed out.

Steve just huffed and kept scrolling through the results HELEN complied based on the descriptions Barnes provided. Tony was reading something infinitely more interesting about one Malcolm Ducasse. The man himself, interesting, but not ground-breaking. He used to be a social worker, then he fell off the wagon. Nothing happened in his personal life to explain it, but these things didn't always happen for a reason. He had an arrest record; drugs, minor breaking and entering, some misdemeanours. He was not exactly a model citizen, but also not a dangerous criminal.

Then Tony read the rest of his story, and he realised that HELEN already had some of the information flagged for him, with good reason. The details were gruesome; murder, suicides, murder-suicides… mind control. HELEN flagged it, in case things really went out of control, but apparently the situation resolved itself before the AI could bring it to his attention.

Tony's general rule about vigilantism was to keep his distance. There were things he could get involved in and throw around his weight, but street-level crime was not one of them. It would get messy extremely fast. The Avengers already got plenty of heat about getting involved when it came to terrorist organisations and big-game arms dealers.

Of course, when they were the only ones who stood a chance at stopping a threat, their involvement was looked at much more favourably. But stepping on the toes of the police force and the juridical system when it was not an end-of-the-world type of situation was inadvisable. Tony hated politics, but if they intended to keep doing what they did best, they had to follow at least some of the rules.

How the kid was connected to all this, he did not know, but he had several names he could look into now, starting with Mr. Ducasse.

Steve made a disgusted noise, so Tony glanced up.

'I can't believe some of these sentences… 1800 milligrams of cocaine, that's barely more than half an ounce, why would they even use milligrams? That makes no sense!'

'Because it sounds like a lot to your everyday citizen on jury duty,' Tony answered. 'As they rarely have any idea what the hell a milligram is, so they focus on 1800.'

'It's wrong,' Steve said. His face grim, his voice hard and filled with absolute conviction.

'Hey, if you want to publicly protest police misconduct, be my guest,' Tony offered. 'Might be a good hobby for you, attend some rallies and protests… standing up for the innocent. You might enjoy it more than punching demons and aliens. The media would go nuts.'

'I have a feeling I should talk to one of your lawyers before I do that,' Steve said, as he kept scrolling, frown still firmly on his face. 'I wouldn't want to make things worse.'

'Wow, not charging in headfirst into something. I'm impressed. Barnes really is a good influence on you.'

Steve huffed out a laugh, but he was still mad, Tony could tell. He was probably ready to burst with righteous fury from the injustices he was reading about. Unfortunately, there were bound to be a few on Tony's list, considering that two of the guys they were looking for in the police reports were black.

'Want to hear about Ducasse?' he asked.

'Dangerous?'

'No, but his name keeps popping up in relation to certain type of people,' Tony said.

Steve glanced up.

'What do you mean?'

'The kind of trouble Loki is… people that are out of the ordinary. There's plenty of them, actually, this is New York after all.'

'Any idea why he's looking for Loki?'

'It says he knew the kid lived somewhere in his neighbourhood, with no guardians. He claims he was unable to get him to social services, but he tried multiple times. He noticed him missing and asked around the block, but no one saw him, so he decided to report it to the police.'

'Does his story check out?' Steve asked.

'He did indeed contact social services,' Tony confirmed. 'And he did talk about the kid to the police before. It looks like he was trying to find out if anyone was looking for him.'

'Loki did call him a bleeding heart,' Steve noted. Yes, so the guy might just be a good Samaritan, trying to help a lost boy on the streets. Loki was obviously disinclined to accept his help. Tony had no idea why, maybe paranoia, or maybe something else. He kept wondering if remnants of the old Loki were still in the kid, even if they couldn't see it.

He did remember Barnes, enough to consider him safe at least.

'I don't know what we're going to do… about any of this,' Steve said with a sigh.

Tony shrugged. 'The way I see it; Thor will show up sooner or later, so we just have to keep the kid in one piece until then. He's probably mostly self-sufficient, so it shouldn't be that hard.'

He was laying the optimism on a bit too thick, but what else could he say? As Pepper liked to remind him; he was a grown man, and the rest of the people in the tower were also adults. They could handle a lot worse than one eight-year-old, even if it _was_ Loki. Theoretically, it would be fine… just fine… probably.

x-x-x

Before Steve finally gave up he narrowed HELEN's list down to a dozen guys that matched the descriptions of the men Barnes ran into. Tony called it a night soon after. His back was protesting like crazy about sitting around for so long. He needed rest, badly. His mind was still buzzing with questions, but he fell asleep relatively easily.

He didn't expect HELEN to wake him the way she did. He groaned and turned around, trying to stretch without moving around too much. He didn't feel like he slept enough, so the wake-up call was unwelcome, especially since it did not sound like an emergency.

'Repeat that,' he mumbled as he finally lifted his head from his pillow. It was still dark in his bedroom and he felt half asleep.

' _Sargent Barnes asked me to inform you that he is borrowing one of your cars for an errand._ '

Right. Tony knew from experience that Barnes could get out of the tower without alerting HELEN, so the fact that he told Tony what he was doing was more polite than expected. He could've asked before he took the car, but what the hell, baby steps.

'Okay… how's the kid?'

' _Loki accompanied him on this errand.'_

That woke him up.

'Does he have a phone on him?' Tony asked. 'Call him.'

' _Certainly_ ,' HELEN confirmed. There was a bit of silence, so Tony got out of bed while rubbing his eyes. The tint on the windows shifted, allowing just a bit of light in. The digital display lit up on the glass right after, showing the time and weather outside. 7:02, dear god, he planned to sleep more.

The line connected.

' _What?_ ' Barnes answered.

'I hope you're not driving while holding a phone,' Tony told him, for whatever reason. He was tired, sue him.

' _It's your car, you know I didn't need to take the damn phone out of my pocket_.'

Tony was surprised he actually answered. Also, he was right.

'So, hey… I thought we agreed that the kid had to stay here,' Tony said.

' _I didn't agree to anything like that,_ ' Barnes said. ' _And something needs looking into_.'

'Okay, you remember that medical report I showed you yesterday?' Tony asked.

Sure, the kid didn't need constant medical supervision, but considering the state he was in…

' _Benny said he's fine_ ,' Barnes said. ' _He needs to eat, so he will eat, and this is time sensitive._ '

All right, Tony was surprised again. Barnes actually spoke to Benny. Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised. He had a very specific picture of Barnes in his head, which was apparently not as accurate as Tony thought it was. He knew better than this, it was time to re-evaluate for sure.

Moreover, whatever information came out of Loki, if Barnes thought it was time sensitive, it probably was.

'This errand of yours. Is it going to involve anything illegal?'

' _I don't expect it to_ ,' Barnes said.

'That's good to hear,' Tony told him. 'Should I bother asking what you're going to do?'

The answer didn't come from Barnes, but from a small annoyed voice a little further away.

' _No!_ '

'Easy, we're helping you, remember?' Tony said.

' _If I wanted to tell you, I would have told you!_ ' said Loki. There was a shuffling noise and then silence.

' _They have disconnected the call_ ,' HELEN informed him. ' _Would you like me to call back?_ '

'No, that's fine.'

Ugh... it was time for some coffee. The kid was obviously testy about this. So, he just had to trust Barnes to handle it, and wait to hear back from them. And hopefully, afterwards, they would explain what the hell was going on.

Huh… almost like old times, just with fewer demons this time… probably.

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

'So, if I was an adult when I died, shouldn't I be an adult still… or a baby?' Loki asked.

Bucky kept his promise and answered all questions he could, keeping out most of the gruesome details, but not skipping any of the important parts. But no matter how weird his explanations got, the kid just kept asking more questions. He acted more surprised when he saw Steve and Stark for the first time, than when he heard that he apparently died and came back to life. He just nodded when Bucky told him that he was from another world, hummed thoughtfully when he was told that he used to be a sorcerer or mage of sorts.

'Beats me,' Bucky shrugged, slowing down when they reached a red light. 'Time works differently in other places, maybe you were a new-born, just not here on Earth.'

'All right, that makes sense,' Loki said.

'Really?' Bucky was not so sure, magic was still not his forte.

'Ehhh… maybe? I don't remember it, so maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe it was bad, and it's better that I don't remember.'

There was some truth in that, Bucky had to admit.

'Dr Karim said I have a brother,' he said quietly then.

'You heard that, huh?'

Bucky wasn't sure whether he did or not, but he certainly didn't ask about it until now.

'I did… I thought… he might show up?'

That was definitely a question.

'He's not on the planet, and we can't just call him,' Bucky told him. 'But if I had to guess, he will be here as soon as he hears about you. He's predictable like that.'

'I don't remember having a brother,' Loki said, thoughtful. 'But it sounds right, like when you said my name. I just can't picture him.'

'You didn't remember me either,' Bucky told him. 'But you recognised me. Maybe your brain just needs triggers.'

'Maybe.'

'Stark could probably dig up some pictures or a video of him.'

'No,' Loki shook his head. 'I'll wait… if he's going to come.'

Bucky didn't have much to say to that. He knew things between the brothers were complicated, but Thor was not a shitty guy, so Bucky didn't really feel the need to worry about what would happen when he showed up.

'You have two brothers actually,' he added. 'But I never met the younger one. He was a more recent addition, from what I gathered.'

Loki just nodded thoughtfully, probably wrecking his brain trying to remember. But he didn't stay silent for long of course.

'If I was an alien, am I an alien now too?' came the next question.

'Maybe,' Bucky told him. 'You're tougher than kids usually are, that's for sure.'

The kid made a thoughtful noise at that.

'I noticed that,' he said. He fidgeted a little.

'You're going the wrong way, by the way.'

'No, we're making a detour.'

'I told you-'

'Yes, it's urgent, I get that, but if you look like I kidnapped you, that's going to draw attention. Trust me, it's best if we stay under the radar.'

'Okay, so…'

'We'll stop for a change of clothes, to blend in. In and out, twenty minutes tops.'

He already noticed, that having a good explanation why something was necessary worked well with the kid. It was not very different from the way things used to be when he first met Loki. He always needed to know the reason. He never took anyone's word, not even Leah's for a long while. Sure enough, he didn't argue now either.

His own clothes were fine, relatively new, and nondescript. The weather was maybe not cold enough yet to justify the gloves he was wearing, but if needed, he could also pass off his arm as a less advanced prosthetic. People tended to ask fewer questions when they pegged him for a vet, so that was a plus. The kid on the other hand looked, well… homeless. He cleaned up before they left, but the oversized t-shirt and torn trousers might ring some alarm bells in a more public space.

There were a lot of smaller stores they could go to, a place not too busy, and preferably not stuffed full of security cameras.

'You do this a lot, don't you?' Loki asked.

'Buying clothes for someone? Not in recent memory.'

The kid rolled his eyes.

'Sneaking around… blending in. All of that.'

Bucky thought about his answer for a moment. His past was a bit too complicated to get into right now.

'I've got enemies, and so do you.'

'Yes, I got stabbed.'

'It was just a cut, it's healed, you can barely see it now.'

' _Lightly_ stabbed,' the kid insisted.

Why was he arguing with him? He let it go.

It was early enough that there were still a few parking spaces left here and there, so Bucky stopped as soon as he spotted one, even if it was two corners away from where they needed to go.

'Leave the bag,' he told the kid when he was turning around in his seat. Loki refused to leave his backpack at the tower and Bucky let him bring it along.

'But what if the car gets stolen? It's a really nice car.'

Yes, it was. Another reason why he didn't plan to drive it all the way to Hell's Kitchen.

'It's Stark's car. It can probably go back home on its own if it gets stolen.'

The kid looked at a car interior again, with a bit more wonder in his eyes this time, then he left the bag where it was on the backseat and got out. Bucky kept his steps short and slower than normal, so the kid could keep up with him.

'Tell me more about this friend of yours,' Bucky prompted. He agreed to this trip without asking too many questions, because he knew this was his chance to learn more about what the hell happened to Loki recently, without needing to pull the information out of the kid.

'I just want to make sure she's okay,' Loki told him. That's what he told him before. Bucky needed more.

'Why wouldn't she be?'

'Because that asshole that calls himself her boyfriend is why I got stabbed.'

Bucky almost reflexively opened his mouth to tell him to watch his language, but thought better of it. Loki wasn't really eight… well, he both was and wasn't. Bucky still wasn't entirely sure how to act around him. He could figure it out later. 'Was he one of the guys chasing you?'

'No, those were the people he got angry, I just shouldn't have been there.'

'Wait,' Bucky stopped them and pulled the kid to the side, closer to the buildings. He glanced around to make sure nobody could hear them. 'What happened to this guy?'

'Oh, I think he's probably dead,' Loki said easily. 'I didn't stay long enough to make sure.'

'You could've opened with that. Why?'

'I don't know. The reason why people like that usually get killed,' Loki shrugged. 'Maybe he owned them money, or he stole something, or he just made them mad, because he was an asshole.'

'Why were you there?'

'Gigi lets me sleep on her couch, so that's what I was doing.'

'Gigi's your friend?' Bucky asked.

'Yes, sort of, she's nice.'

'Right, was she there too?'

'No, she works at nights,' Loki said. 'I don't think they would've waited for her to get home, but…'

'They chased you down,' Bucky pointed out.

'Well, I did see them murder a guy.'

There was more to this, Bucky could tell. 'And?'

'And I also heard them talking before they got on with the murdering.'

That explained a few things. Still, it's been more than an entire day, if anything happened to the girl after those men ran away from Bucky, there was nothing they could do about it now. Loki could've told him all this yesterday, but Bucky wasn't surprised he didn't. He probably found it hard to trust anyone.

'All right, let's make this quick.'

Bucky led him to this little secluded store that looked like it sold kid's clothes. He's never been inside before, but the store front looked right.

The woman behind the counter perked up with a smile when they walked in and moved to come around to greet them. Bucky would've preferred someone who ignored them. If she talked to them, she would remember them better.

'Good morning!' she called as she walked towards them. Bucky did his best to make his expression more "friendly", but he knew he didn't always succeed with strangers.

He was mildly shocked when Loki grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him forward, giving the woman a loud cheerful, 'Hi!'

He looked excited and bouncy all of a sudden as he smiled up at her. Bucky schooled his face and stayed silent.

'The airport lost _all_ of my clothes,' Loki told her dramatically. 'So, I get to have new ones!'

The lady looked down at the oversized t-shirt Loki was wearing under his worn jacket and she immediately seemed to put a perfectly reasonable story together in her head. People tended to do that, if you gave them some good hints they filled out the blanks with a logical explanation.

'Oh, that is just awful,' she said. 'But it's like an early Christmas for you too, right?' She sounded like she was talking to a toddler. Then she looked up at Bucky again. 'Do you need any help picking things out?'

'I know my size,' Loki said and practically ran away, deeper into the store.

'Uh, we're fine, thanks,' Bucky told her.

'Well, let me know if you need me for anything,' she smiled as Bucky walked away from her.

He found Loki at the far end of the store, digging through some jumpers. He already dropped the air of cheerfulness that he exuded just moments before.

'Good cover,' he commented.

'You told me we needed to blend in,' the kid said. Which was true, so Bucky let him be.

'Grab like three from everything, and then we can go.'

Bucky grabbed a cap for himself and tucked it under his arm, then got out his phone while Loki walked around grabbing things for himself. He texted Steve just to check in with him. He still felt guilty about vanishing on him the other night.

" _Don't forget to eat something_." Steve texted back, it made Bucky smile.

Steve wasn't too happy that Bucky wanted to take off on his own with the kid, but he let the matter go once Bucky convinced him that he would draw too much attention. Steve might have been adept at covert ops, but he was the worst at not sticking out in a crowd. Steve grumbled, but agreed.

Bucky's estimate was correct. They were done in under twenty minutes even after making the trip back to the car to drop everything off. Loki changed at the store, and Bucky was satisfied that he wouldn't draw any attention now. He didn't need to be told what "sensible" clothing was either, which was a relief. No bright colours, or pattern that was easy to spot and recognise, something thick enough for the weather, but nothing too constricting. He shouldn't have been surprised, the kid did survive on his own in New York for quite a while.

The subway had too many people, so Bucky decided to hail a cab instead. Loki didn't even question why they were not taking the car, he probably figured it out on his own. He started fidgeting with the sleeve of his jacket as they got closer, pulling on the cuffs. He was trying to hide it, but Bucky was good at spotting nervous ticks. Loki's hands have always been a tell, he liked to fiddle with his clothes or a weapon, or twist his fingers, when he forgot to clasp his hands together.

They got out a block away just to be on the safe side, and continued on foot. Bucky's never been to Hell's Kitchen much, especially not in this century, so he wasn't familiar with the neighbourhood, but Loki knew where he was going.

'If those guys are around…' Loki started. Bucky doubted they would be.

'I can handle them,' Bucky told him. 'Relax.'

'But what if-'

Bucky grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. It took the kid a moment to spot what Bucky noticed. Yellow police line. He couldn't see any police cars from where they were standing, but there had to be some around.

'Oh no,' Loki spoke quietly.

'You did say they probably killed that guy,' Bucky said. 'That usually means a body. Especially if they all ran off after you and just left him there.'

Or they didn't plan to hide the body in the first place. Plus, Bucky did break that one man's fingers, so maybe going back for the body was not a priority.

'Can we still go in? What are we going to do?'

Now he really sounded like a child, his tone a lot more uncertain. He was Loki, but he also wasn't really. It made Bucky reluctant to let him out of his sight. Leaving him behind to investigate the building and Gigi's apartment on his own was not an option.

'Do you know anyone else around here who would have information?' he asked. 'Someone not in that building? Preferably someone you can trust?'

Loki stared at the building, then sighed… loudly.

'Malcolm.'

x-x-x

Apparently, Thursday mornings this Malcolm guy was running some group thing in a diner nearby. Loki claimed he didn't know anything more about it, but Bucky wasn't sure that was the case. He didn't push, it was irrelevant.

'Anything else I need to know about this guy?' he asked as he stared at the entrance.

'He's going to have a _lot_ of questions,' Loki said.

'Right.'

'He _might_ call the police.'

'Because of you or because of me?'

Loki shrugged, 'Both?'

Great.

He walked inside first, and looked around quickly. He noted the exit sign above the kitchen entrance, the bathroom doors, the lady behind the counter staring angrily at the cash machine. Then he quickly assessed the people inside. On the left there was a family towards the end by the window, a kid with two women, probably wives or girlfriends, then an older man at the counter drinking coffee, tapping aggressively on his tablet. On the left there was a middle-aged guy in a flannel shirt, eating a big breakfast with vigour, and then in a more secluded corner there was group of people, talking quietly.

Almost none of them looked up when the bell above the door rang, except for one of the moms, and two people from the group.

Bucky stepped further inside and let Loki in a moment later.

The young black guy from the group shot out from his chair at the sight of him, his eyes wide, so Bucky guessed he was Malcolm.

' _Luke!_ Shit, we've been looking _everywhere_! You're okay!' he called as he marched closer. His arms were stretched out, like he wanted to grab the kid, but Loki took a step back, almost plastering himself to Bucky's side. Malcolm finally looked at Bucky at that, and gave him a frown.

'Who are you?' he asked.

'Where's Gigi?' Loki interrupted. 'Did they get her?'

Malcolm turned his attention back down at him. Now he obviously took the time to take a good look at Loki, checking him for injuries or any signs of distress. He used to be a social worker, Stark said, so he probably knew what to look out for.

'So, you were there then,' he said absently.

'Where is she?' Loki repeated.

The guy looked conflicted.

'This isn't really the place-'

'Tell me!' the kid insisted, his face firmly in a glower now, but Bucky could see the underlying worry.

'We just want to know if the girl is all right,' Bucky said, going for a reasonable tone. 'We saw the police outside.'

Malcolm kept staring at Bucky, obviously not knowing what to make of him.

'Malcolm!' Loki raised his voice, demanding an answer. Several heads turned to stare at them, which prompted Malcolm to finally jerk his head towards one of the booths.

Bucky waited for Loki to sit down on the bench first on the inside. It put the kid by the window, but it made it easier for Bucky to stand up quicker.

Malcolm kept looking at Loki, his eyes sometimes flickering to Bucky, probably trying to decide if he should be reaching for his phone and dialling 911. There was not much Bucky could do about his suspicion, except act normal.

'Stop it, Malcolm,' Loki said. 'He's my friend.'

'Oh, a friend like some of Gigi's "friends"?' Malcolm asked in return, sounding irritated. 'I know you think you've got the whole world figured out, but you are a goddamn kid, and I don't know who the hell he is!'

'Just tell me where Gigi is!' Loki insisted again, without answering.

'She's fine, okay? We got there in time,' Malcolm finally told them.

'In time?' Bucky couldn't help but ask. Malcolm's eyes shifted to Loki, and he hesitated.

'I know they killed Cole,' Loki told him. 'I saw it.'

Cole being Gigi's so-called boyfriend. That explained the hesitance. Most people would be reluctant to talk about murder in front of a child, with good reason.

'Shit,' Malcolm cursed under his breath, then pinned Loki with an intense look. 'I don't care if I have to drag you kicking and screaming, you have to go somewhere safe! End of story! You can't stay on the streets!'

Loki groaned, but Malcolm kept talking, not letting him interrupt.

'Listen, I know Gigi told you a lot of horrible stuff about the system,' he said. 'The police and her foster parents, I get it. Listen to me, _I get it!_ There are a lot of bad people out there, and you already met way more than you should have, but that doesn't mean all of them are bad. I didn't plan to just drop you off at a doorstep, you know.'

He was getting quite worked up about this. His desire to help, his frustration about not being able to, it all rang true. He looked like he was two seconds away from jumping up from his seat to try and grab the kid again.

'I'm going to stay with James until my brother comes back,' Loki declared, then he glanced up at Bucky for confirmation. Technically, they would probably all just stay with Stark, but Malcolm did not need to know that. He might've been genuine in his desire to help some kid he found on the streets, but he could still easily run to the nearest reporter at the mere mention of the Avengers.

Malcolm looked confused for a moment, then suspicious. Bucky decided that he had to do some adult-to-adult talking, because this guy was not going to take Loki's word on anything. Plus, he needed more information.

'Steve said we had to eat, so how about we do that?' he asked. Loki looked at him like he was crazy for just a second, but then he came to some sort of decision and nodded.

'Can I get whatever I want?' he asked as Bucky reached for his wallet.

Bucky was suddenly unsure what the correct answer was. On one hand, this was Loki, and Bucky didn't care what he ate, on the other hand, he was around eight right now, so maybe he couldn't be trusted with food choices. Well, there was only one way to find out, at least for future reference.

'Sure,' he said, standing up to let Loki out, handing him some cash. 'Just order me some eggs and bacon.'

Loki walked over to the counter and climbed up on one of the tall chairs without any further comments. He stayed close enough that Bucky could see him from the corner of his eye. Smart kid.

Bucky sat back down and looked at Malcolm.

'Yes, he has a brother,' he said. 'No, he's not in the country.'

'I have a really hard time believing you,' Malcolm said. 'I looked at a lot of missing person ads, okay? Nobody was looking for him. My friend is a PI, and she's good, she couldn't find anything. And now you are suddenly here? Who are you?'

'He wasn't missing, he was presumed dead,' Bucky said simply, which made some of Malcom's anger dissipate and turn into surprise. It was a version of the truth in a way. Malcolm was obviously waiting for him to elaborate, but Bucky couldn't give him a better answer.

'What happened?' he asked.

Bucky gave him a look. 'I don't know you either,' he told him. Malcolm opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it.

'How long has he been here?' Bucky asked him instead.

'I've known him about five weeks now,' Malcolm said. 'But he must've been around longer than that,' he sighed and rubbed his face. 'I tried to take him to the police, but whenever I tried, he just vanished! I don't know how! And when child services tried to find him at Gigi's place, she just told them she never saw any boy, that she didn't know what they were talking about. I didn't want to get her in trouble by calling her a liar, she _really_ didn't need that.'

Bucky gathered as much, from the bits and pieces he heard about her.

'She works nights, Luke said,' Bucky prompted. He wasn't sure whether Malcolm would answer.

'She's a dancer,' he said. 'It's one of the better places, so she was safe in there, and we picked her up when she finished. She didn't need to see… damn, it was a mess.'

Malcolm had to be there when the body was found then, the police wouldn't have let him in afterwards.

'What were you doing there?' he asked. Now Malcolm gave him a look again.

'I must've missed it when you showed me your badge,' he said.

Bucky just spread his hands, didn't push. Malcolm eyed his gloves for a moment.

'Okay, you got at least a picture?' he asked suddenly. 'You know, family photo with Luke in it or something? To put my mind at ease.'

The guy was smart, and the way the world worked, with smartphones and social media, this would've been a perfectly reasonable request under normal circumstances, and an uncomplicated way for Bucky to prove his story. Obviously, there was nothing Bucky could show him.

He didn't get the chance to dodge the question, because Loki interrupted them. Bucky was almost tempted to believe that his timing was deliberate. Bucky stood up again to let him sit on the inside.

'So where is Gigi staying?' he asked Malcolm.

'My place,' he answered. 'My friend lives down the hall, so she will be safe there.'

'The PI?' Bucky asked.

'She's on the case, and so is the police,' he paused to think something through. 'Luke, if you saw what they did the other night…'

'I am not going to the police,' Loki told him with a firmness that would've been very uncharacteristic for a child his age. Malcolm didn't seem surprised by his tone though.

'Don't you want them arrested?' Malcolm asked.

'For killing Cole?' Loki asked in return, then snorted. 'What do I care?'

'They weren't there just to kill him,' Malcolm said. He obviously forgot about his earlier apprehension of talking about this in front of a kid. Loki not acting like a kid probably had something to do with that. 'They were looking for something. They tore the whole place apart, and they might go after Gigi if they figure out where she is.'

Loki's eyes flickered to the side as he clenched his jaw, but he remained silent. There was something familiar about the look on his face, even if it was slightly off. That face told Bucky that the kid already knew all this. He didn't plan to call him out in front of Malcolm, but he made note of asking him later.

They were interrupted again when the waitress approached their table with a tray. She set down a big milkshake in front of Loki, which made Bucky pause for a moment when the bizarreness of the situation with Loki struck him again. Then he pushed the thought aside.

The mug she put down for Bucky smelled like tea instead of coffee. Bucky was not overly fond of coffee, and he didn't really need it with his enhanced endurance. He wondered if Loki thought about what to order for him, or if he just did it without thinking.

'Luke, this is serious,' Malcolm hissed as soon as the waitress left them with a quick promise that their food would be out soon.

'Yes, the murder part made that obvious,' Loki told him, before he visibly ignored him in favour of his milkshake. Malcolm swallowed down his annoyance with not much struggle.

'If you're the only witness…'

'Witness of what?' Loki blinked up at him innocently. 'I don't know what you mean Mr. Ducasse,' he added with a much more child-like tone.

Malcolm stared at him. It didn't look like he had any idea what to say to that. Loki stared back at him while he slurped his milkshake. Bucky resisted the urge to huff out a laugh.

Malcolm stood up abruptly, running right into the waitress he obviously did not see coming. She didn't drop the plates in her hands, but she did bump into their table and spilled Bucky's tea all over the surface. It only got Bucky's metal arm, but the lady didn't know that. She quickly put the two plates down, well away from the puddle, and started cleaning the tea up with the napkins she brought with the food, while Malcolm was apologising to her.

'Oh, I'm so sorry,' she said too. 'You could run your arm under the tap behind the bar for a bit,' she suggested. She almost reached for his arm, probably to try and dab the tea out from his jacket, but Bucky pulled it away in time. Loki scooted a bit away from the mess, and helpfully shoved a handful of napkins at Bucky too.

Bucky tried to scrounge up a friendly smile, while he picked up the cup to move it out of her way.

'Don't worry,' he told her. 'This doesn't get burnt.' He tapped the cup on his metal forearm. She gave him that look that Bucky was used to seeing by now, it happened almost every time he was forced to point out to strangers that his left arm wasn't flesh.

'I'll get you another one,' she promised with a smile as she took the cup from Bucky.

Malcolm just looked at him for a long moment, then he turned and went back to his little group in the corner.

'Well, at least he didn't call the police,' Loki observed.

'Probably because he knows you will lie through your teeth if he does,' Bucky told him. Malcolm probably knew the odds of whom the police would believe in this scenario, especially with the innocent kid act Bucky saw Loki pull earlier in the store.

Loki reached for his fork, and Bucky finally noted that he ordered pancakes and bacon.

'The police won't help Gigi,' he said. 'They never have.'

Bucky pulled his own plate closer, while he thought about all of this. It was really time to grill Loki for some more answers.

'You know what they were searching for?' he asked quietly, not even looking at him.

There was only a small pause.

'Maybe.'

'And whatever it is, if I looked in your bag in the car perhaps,' Bucky continued. 'Would I find it?'

'I didn't say that,' Loki said.

Now Bucky did turn to look at him. Loki stabbed at his pancake, thinking.

'Probably,' he admitted.

Bucky did huff out a laugh this time. 'Figures.'

He started on his food, while he sorted through what he knew so far. The waitress came and went with a new cup of tea. Malcolm still turned around to glance at them occasionally. Bucky took out his phone to send another text to Steve, while they ate in silence.

'I do wonder,' Bucky continued after some time. 'Did it not strike you as monumentally stupid to take it?'

Loki shrugged. 'A little,' he admitted, then he gave him a grin that used to look sharp on his adult face, but now just looked cheeky. 'But I like my odds now.'

Bucky's phone pinged with a new message. Steve again.

 _We found one of them. When will you be back?_

'Do you need to see your friend?' he asked.

'No,' Loki said. 'If Malcolm says she's safe, then she is.'

His trust in this guy was at odds with his behaviour towards him. Loki must've seen the confusion on his face.

'I don't have to like him to know he's trustworthy,' he said, which was fair enough.

'Finish up then, time to go… and you're going to show me what the hell you took from those guys.'

Loki didn't protest, which was as good as an agreement.

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Bucky returned with a stormy look on his face. He wasn't furious, because his expression always turned stone cold when he was, but he was still obviously angry about something. And he didn't even hear what Steve and Tony had to tell him yet. None of the information was up on Tony's screens.

'Where's the kid?' Tony asked as soon as the door to his workshop opened.

'The nurse got him,' Bucky told them. 'That guy has no common sense.'

Steve smothered a smile. Benny was completely unafraid of Bucky, and seemingly immune to all his glares and curt words. Steve found Bucky's befuddlement of this endlessly amusing. Tony just looked proud.

'He's a good kid, don't terrorise him,' he said.

'Did I do anything?' Bucky asked, but it sounded rhetorical. He walked up to the workbench Tony was at and put a phone down in front of him. Steve walked closer to look at it too. It looked unremarkable especially compared to StarkPhones, and it was older model too, going by the size.

'You'll have to crack this open,' Bucky said.

Tony looked somewhat interested.

'I'll bite, why?' he asked.

'Loki stole this from a guy, and he got killed for what's on it,' Bucky explained simply.

'But what?' Steve asked.

'No clue,' Bucky shrugged. 'Loki said the guy called it "insurance", but it obviously didn't work out for him.'

Tony made a little hum. 'You say "insurance" and I hear "evidence",' he said.

'Or blackmail,' Bucky added.

Tony hummed in agreement. 'Do I need to worry about fingerprints?'

'It will have Loki's on it,' Bucky said. 'And the dead guy by the name of Cole, no surname.'

Tony wandered away, probably to grab some gloves, but Steve just eyed the phone on the workbench.

'Malcolm Ducasse checks out too,' Bucky told them. 'We got some information out of him. He's not a threat, just a bleeding heart, like Loki said.'

'One would think you would be happier about finding decent people out there,' Tony commented, not even glancing back at them.

'I feel like I'm pointing out the obvious, but shouldn't we inform the police?' Steve asked. 'Don't we have a policy on this?'

'Oh, yes we do, and I will call in Maria very soon to get this mess sorted,' Tony said. 'But when some sort of criminal evidence is delivered to me by a guy who's supposed to be dead and was acquired from a murder victim by a child who doesn't even officially exist… things become a bit more complicated. They will ask me where I got it from for one. So, my answer is; not yet.'

'I guess we can't just make an anonymous tip,' Steve said with a wry smirk.

'There's a PI working on this,' Bucky spoke up. 'We could check whether she's the real deal.'

Tony swiped the phone off the workbench, now wearing a glove, then stopped to give Bucky a considering look.

'I'll let Maria know,' he said. 'But first, I want to know what you brought us. Place your bets gentlemen; drugs, guns or something worse?'

'It might not be anything big,' Bucky said. 'People can get killed for the smallest shit.'

'That is unfortunately true,' Tony agreed.

The thought unsettled Steve, even if it was nothing new. There were people out there who were willing to kill… hell, willing to chase down and murder a kid for some small insignificant reason. He's met world conquerors, gods and demons. He faced down the potential end of the world multiple times… but this felt different. Small, yet bleak. He knew the world could be ugly, but sometimes it was easy to forget when he only thought about humanity as a collective that needed to be protected.

The one guy they identified through Bucky's description was most certainly not some criminal mastermind, just an average person with a long list of petty crimes to his name. Or maybe that was just what the police could pin on him.

It was a little strange that he was almost hoping for some big conspiracy. He could deal with those more easily. He wasn't sure how to deal with shitty average people, other than to track them down, punch them in the face, and then drag them to the nearest police station.

Tony and his PR team would probably advise against that. But maybe he should ask…

'Okay, there are definitely some drugs,' Tony spoke up, looking over something on his monitor. Steve and Bucky made their way over. Somehow Steve wasn't surprised that it took Tony so little time to get into the phone. 'But they are more consumers than suppliers.'

Sure enough, the photos on the screen were taken at some party. But there was more than just alcohol and cigarettes going around once he looked closer.

'This place looks a bit too high-end for a guy like this,' Bucky commented.

'Run facial recognition on everyone, HELEN,' Tony instructed. 'See if we can recognise anyone.'

'Maybe he was just hired muscle or something,' Steve offered.

'Or a waiter,' Tony commented as he zoomed in on a different picture from the library. The man on the photo took a picture of himself in a bathroom, he was wearing black slacks and a pristine white shirt. He was young, maybe mid-twenties, his skin just a little on the darker side, maybe Greek or Turkish.

There were other pictures on the phone too, not from a party. A few more selfies of the same guy, Cole, Steve assumed. Then a few of him and a black girl with long curly hair. She looked very young, but Steve couldn't guess her age. They looked like a couple. There were a few shots of her wearing… very little. It was not underwear per se, but the outfits showed a lot of skin. Tony didn't linger on those.

The girl showed up on a few other pictures as well, some of them she took of herself. She probably borrowed the phone to make them. And then there was Loki. It was the only picture of him. The girl must have taken it, judging by the angle. They were both sitting on a couch. She was wearing heavy make-up, maybe getting ready to go out, while Loki sat in a too-big red hoodie next to her. His grumpy glaring face was in stark contrast with her wide smile.

'That would be Gigi I guess,' Bucky said. 'Cole was her boyfriend… of sorts.'

'And nothing incriminating enough to kill for so far,' Steve added.

Tony scrolled further down to some other party photos.

'Well shit,' he said as he enlarged one of the pictures. There were several young men on it, drinks in hand, one of them snorting something off the table. It didn't take a genius to guess what. 'I know that one,' Tony said, tapping the screen, pointing out one of the guys.

'Who is he?'

'The son of someone who is rich enough to be invited to the same places I'm invited to…' then he hesitated for a moment. 'We had a contract with him, and Cross Tech, back when I was still… when Stane was still acting CEO.'

Steve thought about that for a moment.

'But not anymore?'

'I'm not in the weapons business anymore,' Tony answered simply.

'Just a businessman, or businessman involved in politics?' Steve asked next. One of the first things he realised after waking up in this century was that he had to be more cautious about the latter category.

'Not directly, as far as I know,' Tony said. 'Campaign contributions. HELEN, bring up Sonny Burch.'

While HELEN pulled up some information about the man in question on a different screen, Tony kept flipping through the pictures.

'He might not be happy about photos like this about his kid,' Bucky commented.

'Drugs and booze can be explained easily with good PR,' Tony said, his voice flat. 'Just a troubled boy, he feels sorry, he's going to rehab yadda yadda… these pictures might sell decently to some gossip rags, but they wouldn't be enough for blackmail, it could easily-'

Steve's eyes were running through the information about Burch, his past at Cross Technologies, and his son Zach Burch, so he had to look back to Tony to get why he fell abruptly silent.

The small picture on the screen was still from the party, but the younger Burch now had a girl next to him. One of his arms around her middle, his other shoved down her dress. The body language alone would've been enough for Steve to know that she didn't want to be close to him, but the look on her face and her puffy red eyes made it obvious. Bucky and Tony both visibly tensed, and Steve could feel his own spine stiffen.

He had a very bad feeling about this.

Tony closed the whole album, then just stared at the empty desktop for a long moment.

'HELEN, flip through the rest of the pictures for me, and facial recognition on the girl please.'

The three of them stood in silence for the minute it took HELEN to follow Tony's instructions.

' _I must echo Captain Rogers' earlier assessment_ ,' HELEN said then. ' _It may be prudent to contact the police. I have identified the young woman on the pictures as Jaci Nowell, she had been reported missing five days ago_.'

No wonder she found her so quickly. A picture of her popped up on the screen, attached to a missing person report. It was maybe a profile picture of sorts, she was smiling brightly. College student, nineteen years old.

' _This matches the date the pictures on the phone were taken_ ,' HELEN continued. ' _There are also several pictures you have not reviewed where she is in visible distress, while on a few of the later pictures her expression shows signs of intoxication, and she is also not fully dressed._ '

'Call Maria,' Tony instructed right away in a clipped tone, then turned around to look at Steve and Bucky.

'So, what do we do?' Steve asked him.

'You two? Nothing. Trust me, I wish we could ride up to the Burch residence and punch an answer out of the guy, but we can't. Maria knows what strings to pull to get this information to the right people.'

'You really want us to do nothing?' Steve asked. He didn't know how he felt about this. His gut told him that he needed to help, as always, but he was unsure what he could possibly do. Other than… yeah, punch an answer out of Zach Burch.

'Rich kid, and the evidence is circumstantial at best, and illegally acquired,' Bucky said before Tony could answer. 'Publicly accusing him is not gonna help the girl… if she's alive.'

Tony looked tired. 'Yes, all of that… Just stay put, all right? The kid too.'

Steve sighed. 'But if there's anything we can do…'

'I will call you, trust me. I'll check if there's any connection between the Burch's and the thugs that killed this Cole guy. They followed Loki all the way from Hell's Kitchen down to Brooklyn… I mean, that's like a two hour walk at least. I don't even know how he got that far.'

'It's Loki,' Bucky shrugged.

'Yeah,' Tony sighed again.

Steve looked at the girl's picture again and hoped she was still alive.

x-x-x

At first, they both stood silently in the elevator as they left Tony's workshop floor, but Steve couldn't keep his thoughts to himself for long.

'So, Cole works as a waiter of sorts, sometimes at classy parties,' he said.

'He takes pictures,' Bucky continued the thought. 'Maybe he wanted to catch someone rich and famous doing something indecent.'

'I mean, he was risking his job,' Steve added. 'But maybe he hated it.'

'Then one night he takes pictures of something much worse than booze and drugs,' Bucky continued.

'A girl goes missing,' Steve finished.

'Loki said he called it "insurance". So, he had to know what happened to her,' Bucky said then. 'Maybe he didn't take pictures of everything, but he had to know.'

'And what then?' Steve asked. 'He just… does nothing?'

'They paid him, or threatened him,' Bucky guessed. 'Or yeah, maybe he just didn't give a shit.'

Steve sighed. They barely knew anything about this Cole guy, so it was hard to draw conclusions about him and how he got into this whole situation.

'But he had the pictures, and he told his girlfriend Gigi about it,' Bucky said. 'Loki overheard him and stole his phone.'

'Why?' Steve asked.

Bucky shrugged. 'He didn't say why, but he called Gigi his friend, and called Cole "that asshole". My guess is that he either wanted to get him in trouble, or he didn't want Gigi to get dragged into the whole mess.'

As odd as it was to think of the smiling girl on some of the pictures as Loki's friend, Bucky's reasoning seemed solid.

The elevator stopped and they both walked out. Steve was still trying to put the picture together in his head, and Bucky was probably trying to do the same.

'Someone sent those guys to get the phone from Cole, destroy it maybe,' Steve said. 'Which means someone found out about it. Someone at the party noticed him?'

'Or Cole didn't keep it fully a secret,' Bucky answered. 'Maybe he asked for money, I don't know. He kept the pictures for whatever reason, and they killed him to get them back from him… except he didn't have them anymore.'

'If he suspected Loki took his phone, that would explain why they went after him,' Bucky guessed.

Steve stopped, and Bucky slowed down too.

'This is messed up,' Steve said. The whole thing was ugly, from start to finish.

'The world is messed up,' Bucky told him. It was not the first time he said it, and usually Steve tried to remind him of the good things in life, but right now he couldn't get himself to.

'Yeah…'

'Loki will want to know what was on the phone,' Bucky said then.

Steve thought about it. 'He… probably shouldn't know, right? I mean, he's a kid… is he? You spent more time with him now.'

Bucky looked up at the ceiling, contemplating his answer.

'Yes and no,' he settled on. 'I have no idea what Loki was like as a kid, so maybe he's acting normal for his age… for an Asgardian… frost giant, whatever. Let's stick to the basics for now.'

Steve nodded in agreement.

HELEN told them even before they stepped into the elevator that Benny dropped Loki off on the guest floor that was usually reserved for Steve. The furniture changed since then. They probably replaced everything after the repairs from the last time. Steve didn't like to think about what happened back then. That thing that crawled into his body and mind still haunted his sleep on some nights.

He heard voices long before they reached the living room. Wanda's voice was the first he heard, then Vision, and then Loki. When he turned the corner, he saw that Pietro sprawled across one of the sofas too, looking way too amused. Vision was sitting in a more dignified position next to him. To Steve he always looked just a bit odd when he put on civilian clothes, but he wasn't about to dissuade him from trying to fit in more.

'But maybe that's what happened to me too!' Loki was saying enthusiastically. Steve saw Wanda smothering a smile, while Vision just looked bewildered. 'I got killed so badly, that I was almost gone, but then someone made a new body and just put me in it!'

Vision tilted his head, taking a moment before answering. 'An interesting theory, but that is not how it usually works with humans.'

'No, but magic!' Loki argued. 'And I don't remember being smaller, so maybe I was never smaller at all! _And_ I wasn't human either.'

'Hey, he's got a point,' Pietro said, drawing Vision's attention. 'He died less than a year ago, but he's… how old are you?'

'How would I know?' Loki shrugged. 'I don't remember anything.'

'We're guessing eight,' Bucky interrupted, making all heads turn in their direction.

'Did you find what Cole was hiding?' Loki asked, kneeling up on the couch to turn fully towards them. He looked a lot more relaxed than he was just a day ago, his body language open and a lot less cautious. He was also less tired and pale.

'He took photos of things he shouldn't have,' Bucky answered. 'But we're still putting the pieces together. Stark's on it.'

Loki looked thoughtful and Steve wondered whether he would be satisfied with an answer like this. The old Loki wouldn't have, but the kid let it go.

'Are we going to stay here?' he asked instead.

'There's nowhere safer,' Bucky told him. Loki looked at him for a long moment again, expression unreadable.

'Okay,' he said then easily, sitting back down next to Wanda.

'HELEN thought he could do with some company while you are busy,' Wanda explained their presence. 'And I thought he should meet everyone who lives in the tower for now.'

'For now?' Steve asked right away as he and Bucky stopped next to the two sofas. 'Are you going somewhere?'

'Tony didn't mention it?' Pietro sat up. 'We're all moving out of the tower.'

No, this was most certainly news to Steve. 'A lot's going on, he probably forgot.'

'After the most recent repairs were competed he arrived at the conclusion that it was too dangerous for this tower to remain our main base of operations,' Vision explained. 'This is a densely populated area and well… we do attract conflict simply by who we are.'

'Is this going to happen soon?' Steve asked then.

'It is in progress,' Vision said. 'An old Stark Industries warehouse has been redesigned and refurbished to suit all of our needs, but there is much work left to be done, mainly in terms of security.'

'I think he's also trying to decide whether to keep the tower or sell it,' Wanda added. 'And if he does sell it, he needs to pick the buyer very carefully.'

The tower had extensive security and surveillance systems, and its own arc reactor as a power source. Steve wasn't sure what company would need a building like this, but maybe there were plenty.

'But it's the Avengers Tower,' Loki piped up. 'People know that if something bad happens, you are right here!'

'But sometimes bad things happen _because_ we are here,' Wanda told him. 'And we just don't want people to get hurt.'

Steve didn't know what it was, but she seemed to have won Loki's trust to at least some extent already. The way he carefully listened when she spoke was telling. He was taking her words seriously.

'Are there many bad guys who come pick a fight with you?' he asked.

'Sometimes even one is too many when it comes to people getting caught in the cross-fire,' Wanda said sombrely. She must've been thinking about her home country, still recovering from what Ultron did to it. Pietro reached across the space between them to grab her hand. She gave him a smile and squeezed his hand back.

'And it's not that far at all,' she continued when she turned back to Loki, putting some excitement in her voice. 'We visited once already, it's all very impressive. Maybe next time you can come with us?'

Steve wasn't sure whether he was surprised when Loki immediately turned to Bucky at that, the question clear in his eyes.

'I'd like that,' he said.

'Stark will probably want to show it off soon enough,' Bucky told him.

Now there was a smile Steve did not recognise. It certain moments the kid looked like an odd miniature version of the old Loki, especially when his eyes were sharp and suspicions or his lips thin and bloodless. But he's never seen this expression before, soft and cautiously pleased. It was gone in a blink.

Loki turned back to Wanda.

'Can you show me magic again?' he asked.

Bucky made a little huffing noise, which Steve recognised as a sound of amusement. Wanda smiled again, and maybe she even looked a little proud. Not a lot of people acted this excited about her powers.

'Doctor Strange lets me study at the Sanctum,' she said as red light appeared around her fingers, soon taking shape, forming into little rings around her fingers and her wrists. 'He has a library full of ancient tomes, but he said it's nothing compared to what the sorcerers have in Kamar-Taj.'

Vision and Pietro seemed content to just sit around and listen to her talk, while Loki was eying the red shapes around her hands with keen interest. Did Loki still have his powers? As far as Steve knew magic required practice and a lot of studying. Bucky seemed sure that Loki reached out to him somehow when he was in danger, so while he might've lost his knowledge, the ability had to be there. It made him wonder.

'We should probably tell Strange about him,' Steve told Bucky quietly. 'I don't know how this works, but we definitely don't want him to accidentally blow something up… if that's even possible.'

As if on cue, Loki reached out towards Wanda's hand in something like fascination. He didn't touch her or the shimmering red rings, but the smallest one close to the tips of Wanda's fingers sparked and turned into a little green and white flame at his proximity. In a blink it skipped over to Loki and coiled around his hand like a tiny serpent.

The boy was startled by the burst of magic and pulled his hand back, but either the movement or his reaction just fanned the flame bigger, turning it more green than white. Wanda grabbed his hand with both of hers, quickly dispelling both her red rings and the wild little green flame.

It happened so quickly that nobody had time to really move before it was over.

Loki stared at Wanda's hands and his own with a frown, then he looked up with a small, 'Oh.'

'Okay, nothing happened,' Wanda said. 'Everything's fine,' she added a bit louder, maybe to make sure that HELEN knew there was no danger.

'I didn't mean to,' Loki said in a voice much quieter than Steve would've expected. 'But I could feel them moving.'

'No, I should've been more careful too,' Wanda told him. She was looking at his hand still, probably to make sure there was no trace left of the green magic flame. 'You had a lot of power in your… earlier form.'

Then she turned to Steve and Bucky. Steve knew what she was going to suggest before she spoke.

'Okay, so… Greenwich Village?'

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Tony was idly scrolling down the tablet that laid on the kitchen counter, nursing his morning coffee. He wished it was his first one, but he pulled a late one last night, trying to piece together what the hell Zach Burch did. This was outside of his comfort zone by a mile. When he became Iron Man, this was not what he signed up for. But he also couldn't just ignore it.

HELEN sent a full briefing to Maria and her prompt reply and plan of action took a heavy weight off Tony's shoulders. Not that Tony expected anything less. Maria used to be Fury's second-in-command at the SHIELD of old, and her proficiency with firearms was low on the list of reasons why. He could trust her with this. If the missing girl could be found alive, then Maria would find her.

'You look a lot more serious than you do on TV.'

Tony wasn't proud of how much he startled, spilling his coffee and barely avoiding a burn on his hand. Loki was looking at him from his couch, peeking over the back.

'What… where did you come from?' Tony asked once he looked around and saw nobody else around. The kid didn't come with Steve or Barnes.

'The elevator let me come up,' Loki told him. 'She said you were awake.'

Okay, so he did not put the kid on the no access list, but mostly because it didn't occur to him to do it. He should be more careful, he knew that. This was still Loki. Tiny and innocent looking, but still Loki.

'Right, so what are you doing here?' he asked next.

The kid shrugged, and just slumped down on the back of the couch. No answer. Right.

'You're up early,' Tony observed.

'I'm not used to sleeping too much at once,' the kid said. It was slightly disconcerting to hear something like that coming from a child's mouth.

The old Loki had been more talkative. He loved the sound of his own voice, especially when he could demonstrate his superiority in something. Of course, confidence came with age and experience.

'I thought you might stick to Barnes though,' Tony prompted. The kid frowned.

'James' not feeling well,' he said. 'I think he had a bad dream.'

Crap.

'I guess he's not really up for company then, is he?' Tony said.

He didn't know whether he needed to explain to the kid what trauma did to a person. He was not the right person to do it.

'Is Captain America James' boyfriend?' the kid asked then. Tony huffed, okay, no PTSD talk, that was a relief.

'He sure is,' Tony nodded.

'Hmm, I thought so,' Loki said, almost as if he was confirming some theory.

There was a stretch of silence and Tony did what he did best, he kept talking.

'So yesterday, what did Doctor Strange say?' he asked. 'About your little… thing.'

'We didn't go,' Loki said, sounding annoyed. 'Benny said I wasn't allowed, because I needed rest, and nobody would listen to me when I said I did not!'

Now this sounded more like something a normal kid would say.

'You'll find that Dr Karim and Benny do get the final say in these things around here,' Tony told him.

'But you're The Avengers,' Loki said.

'Yes, and she's the doctor of the Avengers and Benny is her merciless enforcer.'

A pout… the kid was literally pouting. Tony wanted to take a picture of it on the off chance he managed to invent time travel, or the old Loki returned. Hell, he wanted to take a picture just to give it to Thor.

Still, as amusing as this was, he had no idea what to do with the kid.

'So… you like puzzles?' he asked. It was the first thing that came to his mind.

'Jigsaw?' Loki asked, and his face said he hated even the thought of it.

'No, real puzzles. HELEN, bring up something age appropriate on my tablet,' Tony asked while he walked back to grab the tablet off the kitchen counter. 'Make it… I don't even know… do you like Math?'

' _Should that be age appropriate based on the average development level of children his age or based on different criteria?_ ' HELEN asked.

The kid eyed a tablet with both curiosity and suspicion.

'I better not see any cartoon animals,' he said. That sounded like a story.

'Make it challenging,' Tony said as he held out the tablet.

The old Loki had plenty of brains to go with his brawn, and his ego. And if there was one thing Tony knew from personal experience, it was that smart kids needed something to occupy them, or they would make trouble. God knew Jarvis had to clean up enough messes after Tony when he got bored as a child.

Loki took the tablet and wordlessly looked at whatever HELEN put on there for him. Then after a moment he frowned and sat down on the couch. He looked more focused than curious when he started tapping on the tablet.

Tony went back to the kitchen area to wipe the spilled coffee off his counter, then he refilled his mug. He asked HELEN to get some breakfast sorted, and he even remembered that the kid needed to be fed too. He was nailing this responsible adult thing this morning.

x-x-x

Tony tried going back to work, he really did, but someone had to watch the kid, he reasoned. It was Loki, and Loki needed to be watched. Even if he was currently very tiny and curled up on Tony's couch tapping on the tablet.

One of the ladies from catering brought up a broad selection of breakfast for him. She looked a little starstuck when she greeted Tony. He's never seen her before, so she had to be new. He took the little trolley from her by the entrance though, because he did not need his employees gossiping about a random child in his living room. Sure, they all signed non-disclosure agreements, but Tony learnt a long time ago that it was always better to be safe with these things.

'Kid! Food's here,' Tony said, but he was ignored, or Loki didn't hear him. He was still tapping away on the tablet.

Tony walked up to the couch to look over the kid's shoulder, see what was currently on the screen.

'Has HELEN been making these more difficult as you go?' he asked. Loki didn't startle, but he did stiffen before he turned around to look at Tony.

' _You told me to give him a challenge_ ,' HELEN commented.

'I've never seen a puzzle with numbers in it,' Loki said. 'But I liked the one with the shapes more.'

Tony had an itching in his brain that told him to look at his results, his curiosity rearing its head very quickly, but he resisted.

'Take a break. If I don't feed you Benny will march in here like an avenging angel, and I'd rather not experience that again.'

Loki rolled his eyes. 'He works for you.'

'Yeah well, so does Pepper, but that never stopped her either.'

The sentence stumbled out of his mouth without thought, and now it made his heart twinge.

'Who's Pepper?' the kid asked, but at least he was getting up from the couch now.

Tony didn't actually know how to answer that question in simple terms. Pepper meant so many things to him. Her absence ached even now, but he couldn't help mentioning her all the time.

'Uh, she's the CEO of my company,' he said. 'And my… friend.'

Loki didn't ask him to elaborate, he probably didn't care all that much. And he also didn't need to be prompted to grab some food for himself. Tony contemplated having another coffee but decided against it. He had too much already, his heart really didn't need more.

'Why are you so different on TV?' Loki asked him then, surprising Tony again. The kid was already working on a giant plate of food in front of him, but he kept looking at Tony with this curious, inquisitive look.

'How am I different?' he asked instead, finally taking a seat himself.

'You're more serious, but you're acting much nicer,' the kid said.

'I'm not nice on TV?' Tony questioned. He's always been known for his charming media personality… well, most of the time. He had many fans around the world for a reason.

'Hm,' Loki hummed in confirmation. 'You smile at people, but you don't mean it. And you tell them they are stupid… well, a lot of people are stupid, but I thought we're not supposed to tell them that.'

Tony couldn't help it, he laughed. 'Yes, so I've been told too, but I… I rarely cared and said it anyway.'

The kid looked way too pleased about his answer.

'Disclaimer though,' Tony added, 'Just because you can say whatever you want, doesn't mean you don't have to live with the consequences. If you get smart with the wrong person you might get your… behind handed to you.'

Loki shrugged. 'I can run really fast,' he said.

'Speaking from experience?' Tony asked.

'Yes,' Loki answered without pause. He didn't go back to eating, so Tony waited for him so say whatever he wanted to say.

'If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth then?' he asked, those too serious green eyes locking on him again.

Oh boy… Tony did not like the sound of that. 'Or I won't answer I suppose,' he told him honestly. There were things he just couldn't tell him, naturally, he was a goddamn kid, and he was Loki.

'I did something bad… before… didn't I?'

'How do you figure?' Tony asked. Mainly, he wondered whether the kid remembered anything or if he just picked up some clues somehow.

'It's… a feeling,' he said vaguely. Tony suddenly wondered what exactly Barnes told him. 'James said he's my friend, and I think he is, but he's the only one who said that. You're Iron Man, and this is where the Avengers live, and you want me to stay here, and you all know who I am… but I'm not your friend.'

'Solid reasoning,' Tony admitted. 'No, we were not friends,' he told him. Loki or not, the kid did not need patronising white lies, those never led to anything good. 'And you're right, there's a lot of history between you and the rest of us, most of it not good.'

Loki seemed to have expected the answer, but he still looked… he had a very impressive poker face, but the blank look in his eyes was telling.

'But I wouldn't worry about that right now,' Tony added.

'You still want to keep an eye on me,' Loki said.

'Sure, you're eight. It would be wildly irresponsible to leave you without adult supervision.'

'That's not what I mean,' Loki scowled.

'This is not a house arrest, kid,' Tony sighed. 'You're here because it's safe.'

Loki looked more than a little dubious, but there was not much Tony could tell him to change his mind. He did make a sad sight glaring at his half-empty plate, his tiny shoulders tight with tension. Goddammit. Tony sighed and started speaking before he could second-guess himself.

'You didn't do any of that,' he told him. 'The good or the bad.'

'But I did… if I'm really me, then I did,' he said. 'I'm…'

Probably confused, that's what he was. Was it really still him? It was hard to tell, and there was no exact science to determine one way or another. This wasn't just amnesia; it was a rebirth. The boy could be considered a clone, physically speaking. Only the fragments of memories he possessed made things different. Were those evidence that somehow his "soul" was still the same? And did a "soul" matter that much? Tony was no philosopher, but after all these years creating AI, he sometimes wondered what the true essence of a person was. There was the whole nature vs nurture thing too of course; upbringing, life events, everything that shaped and reshaped an individual. The things Loki had done were choices he made, none of it had not been coded into his DNA.

Either way, the kid did not need the weight of it all on his shoulders. Tony should've dodged these questions maybe, he was clearly just making the kid distraught… and sad. He was tiny and pale and sad, the look on his face made Tony shift around in his seat. He pushed away his plate and couldn't help opening his mouth again.

'Listen, all that bad history, it's there because we remember it, so it will always be there,' he said. 'But you ended up like this,' he gestured at him. 'Because you came through in the end, big time, and in a good way.'

'So, if you feel like you are still that guy, that's still not all bad,' he offered.

There was a long pause, and Tony let the silence linger.

'I don't know who I am,' the boy admitted in a small voice.

'Most people don't,' Tony shrugged. 'Especially not at your age. Magical rebirth or not.'

Loki looked at him for a long moment, then he just nodded with a quiet "ok". Tony breathed out in relief, hoping they were done with these sorts of questions. He was woefully unprepared to deal with them. He still didn't understand how his morning turned into this. He had to ask HELEN just who in the world thought it was a bright idea to trust him to watch the kid for a while. Wanda, most likely.

Speaking of…

'HELEN, round up Wanda, wherever she is,' he instructed. 'We need to take the kid to Strange.' He looked at Loki, who visible perked up. 'Finish your breakfast.'

x-x-x

The big wooden door of 177A Bleecker St. opened without a sound. Wanda smiled brightly, while Tony glanced at Wong over the top of his sunglasses, his hands in his pockets. Wong stared at them all with that too serious look on his face. Tony didn't really know him well, they only met a handful of times and exchanged less than a dozen words. Wanda kept telling him that he was only stern on the outside, but evidence suggested otherwise in Tony's opinion.

Wong finally looked at Loki, and Tony had to give credit to the kid, he did not falter under the stern look.

'Strange should be back shortly,' he said.

'He roped you into holding down the fort, did he?' Wanda asked, still smiling. Wong just sighed as he let them in. Tony pocketed his sunglasses as the door closed behind them. The kid was following Wanda closely, looking around the foyer.

'You could just name someone else as the Master of the Sanctum,' Wanda said. 'Since Stephen is needed elsewhere so often.'

'Strange is the Master of this Sanctum, it is his responsibility,' Wong said. 'We have no one else available who would be suitable. We have lost many, as you know.'

Tony had no idea what he was talking about.

'Something big went down that I don't know about?' he asked.

'Years ago,' Wong said curtly. He did not look like he wanted to talk about it. And all right, if it was years ago, there was no point worrying about it.

Tony only visited the Sanctum once before. Even back then he's only seen this one room, the library on the first floor. It had to be Strange's go-to receiving room. As soon as they were in there Wong turned back towards them.

'The child,' he said. It sounded like a request for an explanation.

'Is why we're here,' Wanda answered brightly.

'You are being very tight-lipped with me,' Wong said to her, then narrowed his eyes. 'I don't like it.'

'I'm Loki,' the kid spoke up before Wanda could say anything else. Wong turned to stare at him for a long moment. Tony didn't know him enough to predict his reaction, but the long and tired sigh was not what he expected.

'Stay here, don't touch anything,' he said, his voice utterly resigned.

Tony watched as he left, thinking.

'I never know where to put this guy,' he commented.

'Master Wong is… reserved, and takes his duties seriously,' Wanda said. 'But he has a soft side. Come on.'

She led them to the sitting chairs by the window but didn't sit down herself. Instead, she immediately went for one of the bookcases.

'What happened to not touching anything?' Tony asked. He gestured to the kid to sit down, while he walked up to the window.

'You sound like Pietro,' Wanda smiled cheekily. 'Master Wong scares him.'

'Hey, I've seen what Strange can do,' Tony said, but he wasn't about to argue with her. He looked around again. 'My god, everything is so old.'

Wooden windows, old wooden floors, all in good condition of course, but rustic. The lights on the ceiling looked antique, not to mention all the glass cases with various armour and weaponry and other… things. He had a feeling the collection was more dangerous than they appeared. Magic was unpredictable, and magical objects could look very innocent. Tony eyed some of the pots and vases with mild suspicion.

'You look like you're expecting something to bite you,' Wanda chuckled. She wasn't even looking at him, her nose in a big book.

'I imagine some of these things can actually bite me,' Tony told her. It was not an unreasonable fear. The kid on the other hand was staring at everything with much bigger interest. He resisted the urge to stand up and look at the artefacts up close, which was more self-control that Tony would've expected from a child. Then again, Loki. He was probably still ready to burst with questions.

Strange strode into the room less than ten minutes later, his cloak billowing behind him dramatically. His hair and beard were impeccable, but he was a little sweaty and he had either dirt or ash on his right check.

'What happened?' Wanda asked with a frown.

'Oh, sorcerers with less than honourable intentions,' Strange waved his hand nonchalantly. 'Some dimensional rifts,' he continued as he lifted a mirror up out of nowhere to look at his own face, then he wiped the dirt/ash off with a handkerchief he most definitely did not have a moment ago. Tony pulled a face. 'There was a lot of lava, but no matter… I'm not late, am I?'

'I didn't tell you when we will come,' Wanda said.

'Excellent,' Strange nodded. 'So,' his eyes zero-d in on Loki. 'You! I should've expected you. Well, I did expect you, in a way, just not this exact scenario.'

He He walked closer to take a seat in the armchair across from Loki, then lifted his gloved hands to his chin thoughtfully. The damn mirror was gone, and Tony didn't even see when it vanished. Ugh, magic.

Wanda finally put the book back to join them. She sat down on the armrest of Loki's chair.

'He still has at least some of his power,' she said.

'Not unexpected,' Strange said. 'But let's not get ahead of ourselves. You feel different.'

'I don't know what that means,' the kid said.

'He doesn't remember,' Tony pointed out, in case Strange did not realise that.

Strange nodded, hopefully in acknowledgment to Tony's words, otherwise it meant he was totally ignoring him.

'We were in a situation where we had to work together for an extended period of time,' Strange started to explain. 'You have demonstrated a wide and impressive range of powers, so I became more than a little familiar with the way… let's say, the way you resonate with your environment.'

'So, he feels different now, I can't tell,' Wanda said.

'It's subtle,' Strange said. 'Loki, in his previous incarnation, was quite a powerhouse and he did not shy away from showing it off. There is only a glimmer around you right now. You don't know how you returned, do you?'

The kid shook his head.

'No memories, unclear origins, and now in an unfamiliar environment. You are taking this very well, I must say.'

'I… James told me who I was, and I know he was telling the truth,' Loki said.

Strange smiled mildly. 'That alone is quite telling. The absence of doubt signifies an instinctual understanding of who and what you are. It shows that some part of you, big or small, survived. It's… I would call it unnatural, but what happened in Chthon's realm was beyond even my understanding of the laws of nature to begin with.'

He looked fascinated, like a scientist running across an intriguing phenomenon. He fell silent, deep in thought, his eyes still locked on Loki. The kid turned to look at Tony questioningly, but Tony just answered with a shrug. He was out of his depth with all this.

'How about we first figure out how you returned this time?' Strange asked. 'It was not by your own power. And I don't think it was Mistress Death either… although, I am still unclear on her previous involvement.'

'Can you do that?' Wanda asked. She looked very interested, but she was always eager to learn more about magic.

'Actions of great magnitude always leave a trace. Bringing Loki back from wherever he and Chthon ended up… that must've taken a lot.'

Now this was interesting. The whole resurrection roulette with Loki seemed like old news, considering how many different versions of him (and her) they have seen. Of course, even Tony understood that vanishing into an endless void while chained to an ancient demon god was slightly different from just being stabbed multiple times.

'What are you going to do?' Loki asked, now looking suspicious himself.

Strange just smiled mildly again.

What followed was a flurry of activity from Strange, excited questions from Wanda, and mild curiosity from Loki. As for Tony, he was back to frowning and staring at some of the relics with ever-growing suspicion. Especially Strange's cloak that was just floating there next to his vacated chair, just swinging mildly mid-air… he really wanted to know how it was levitating. He should've brought some equipment with him, do some readings, record some of this, such a rookie mistake. There had to be a logical explanation for it. Magic was science he did not understand, it just was, for the most part, it had to be.

'All right, now just stand somewhere here,' Strange gestured at Loki, pointing at a spot on the floor.

Loki gave Tony a look again.

'Hey, don't look at me. I don't even trust the furniture around here.'

'It will be fine,' Wanda encouraged. 'Don't worry.'

Strange held something out for the boy, and Loki took it after a moment of hesitation. It looked like a piece of wood… or rock, Tony couldn't really tell.

'Very good. Now, there is nothing you need to do,' Strange said. Tony finally recognised his tone. It was that clear and only mildly warm professional voice that doctors sometimes used on patients. 'Just stay right where you are.'

'But what… what are you going to do to me?' Loki asked.

'Nothing at all,' Strange told him. 'You won't feel a thing. There will be just a few bright lights.'

Tony trusted Strange to be true to his word. What happened after was probably a lot more complicated than it looked. Tony really only saw a few bright lights, little lines twisting and swirling, shifting colours. Tony couldn't even begin to guess what any of it meant. It was an unpleasant feeling, as always. He liked to think he wasn't arrogant enough to think he should understand everything, but magic made him feel a lot more out of his depth than any scientific field every could.

'Well, that is interesting,' Strange said, making some gestures with his hands, making the lights vanish.

'What is it?' Loki asked, clearly impatient for more information.

'The power surrounding you is distinctly earth-bound,' Strange said.

Wanda made a curious noise, looking surprised.

'Shockingly, I know what that means,' Tony said, which made Strange turn towards him. 'I can put two and two together. If he didn't come back on his own, someone helped him. If that someone is from Earth, but it wasn't you or your sorcerer buddies, then we're back to the Elder Gods, aren't we? The nice one this time.'

Strange paused, then simply said, 'Yes.'

'But why?' Wanda asked.

'Gaea is a benevolent deity,' Strange said. 'But your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Sergeant Barnes would know. He interacted with her more than any of us.'

'He might not know anything,' Tony said.

'Did you ask him?'

'Well… no,' Tony admitted. 'How Loki came back was not exactly a priority. It's not like it didn't happen before.'

Strange made a sound in agreement, then he turned back to Loki.

'Now, let's get to the more pressing matters,' he said. 'Let's see what you can do… come along.'

Wanda put a hand around the kid's shoulder, encouraging him to start walking after Strange. Tony was tempted to sit this one out, because he did not trust magic and he liked to keep his distance from it, but his curiosity won out, as always.

He still gave the floating cloak a wide berth as he followed Strange.

x-x-x

Tony spent a considerable amount of time on his phone while Strange was doing… well, it was hard to tell. He sat down with the kid in a mostly empty room, that only had some little mats on the floor. Tony lost interest when Strange's explanations turned mystical. Sure, he was interested in how magic worked, but the esoteric-sounding vocabulary was a sure-fire way to make him zone out.

Maria had several updates for him regarding their problem with the phone and the evidence on it. No breakthroughs, but she was on it. He also had other work to do, which he neglected since Loki popped back into their lives. HELEN always made sure that the important people in his company were informed when it was "Avengers-time", but since there was no emergency now, Tony really didn't have an excuse to not look at his work e-mails.

'This won't be a quick fix,' Strange said, drawing Tony's attention. 'You are the source of your power. It is not something I can lock down or take away from you… not that I would want to.'

'Oh really?' Tony couldn't help but ask.

'It would be… ill advised,' Strange said. The look in his eyes was telling, but he didn't elaborate.

'Most people are not able to conjure spells instinctively,' Strange continued. 'It takes time and vigorous study. We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse. But magic in Asgard… I admit I do not have the knowledge to explain, but it is different.'

'Thor always said it was just an advanced field of science,' Tony said.

'Believe it or not, even among the sorcerers here on Earth there are many who believe the same,' Strange told him.

'So, he needs practice then,' Wanda said. 'Like I do.'

Loki sat cross-legged in front of Strange, staring silently at him. The sorcerer was looking back at him, probably considering his options.

'I imagine that we won't have to wait too long for Asgard to come knocking,' he said. 'But in the meantime, yes. Just to avoid any… accidents.'

Oh, the kid looked really excited now and Strange didn't keep him sitting in one place for long.

'Wanda, would you please show him around?' he asked. 'And I'm sure Master Wong would appreciate it if you went over some of the ground rules.'

'No problem,' Wanda said and held out her hand. This time Loki didn't hesitate or glance back at Tony, he readily jumped up to go with Wanda.

Strange watched them go, then turned back around to Tony.

'Anything you want to add now that he's out of the room?' Tony asked. 'I know you're used to weird things, but you are oddly unfazed.'

Strange sighed.

'Do you remember the powers he unleashed?' Strange asked. 'What he did to Chthon's world?'

It was not something Tony would ever forget. He revisited that place in his nightmares, and he did his best not to remember it in his waking hours.

'You think he still has those powers?' Tony asked.

'I don't know,' Strange said. 'And I'm sure Thor will come for him soon, we can keep him safe until then.'

'Safe from…?'

Strange just looked at him.

'Theoretically, he shouldn't be able to cast spells without his memories,' Strange said. 'But we know that if you do something long enough it becomes second nature, especially if you have a talent for it. There have been cases of musicians with amnesia not losing their ability to play.'

'Sure, and Loki's been using magic for centuries,' Tony nodded.

'A scenario that involves resurrection and a new body is different of course,' Strange said, while pulling a face. It was one of those moments where Tony could actually see the doctor underneath the sorcerer. 'But he is able to use magic subconsciously. At least some of that memory is intact, albeit not readily accessible.'

'Are you about to suggest a brain scan?' Tony asked.

'Tempting, but unnecessary,' Strange answered. 'I'd rather not make him feel like a lab rat. No matter how interesting all of this is.'

Yeah, he was right about that.

'Then what do we do?'

'Loki or not, right now he is a child with powers beyond his understanding. He needs control to make sure he does not harm himself or others around him. It would be careless of me not to help ensure that does not happen.'

'Sounds reasonable,' Tony agreed.

'Furthermore,' Strange continued. 'He might not be able to rip a world to pieces right now, but the potential is there. He is Loki in the body of a child, with the mind of a child, for the most part. An ideal target for those who hunger for power.'

Tony winced. He told the kid himself that he had to stay at the tower for safety, but for the most part he just thought about how unsafe the streets of New York were for a child. Strange was right, there were other threats out there.

'I assume you don't just mean people,' Tony said.

'No, but leave that to me,' Strange told him.

Tony never liked to turn his back on a problem, or a possible threat, but he had to trust Strange on this. He could go through his tower's security again, just to make sure there were no weak spots. He could also put in some extra work into the new facility, in case Thor didn't show up for a couple of weeks. Unlikely, but Tony liked to be prepared.

And it was also time to inform everyone about these new developments.

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

After three weeks Bucky felt claustrophobic. The tower still unnerved him. He could handle it for a brief period, but he was reaching his limit. He couldn't sleep well and there was only so much Steve could do. It wasn't Stark's fault either, he even offered to turn his surveillance off completely on Steve's floor. Showing this much trust with Bucky around couldn't have been easy, but he still offered. It was a nice thought, but it wouldn't help. And still no Thor.

The kid pretended not to care, but Bucky could tell he expected this brother he heard so much about to show up sooner. Steve, ever the realist, pointed out that they had no idea what was happening in Asgard. Thor left in a hurry after they returned from Chthon's realm, and whether the situation stabilised or not since then was anybody's guess. Maybe he was not able to come, even if he wanted to. Bucky wished they had any way to communicate with Asgard. Stark had a whole monologue ready about the impossibility of such a thing. It was long, and Bucky did not want to hear it again.

He wanted to go home, back to Steve's place, but he was not going to leave Loki here, and it's not like they had space for the kid in the flat over in Brooklyn. Bucky didn't think Steve would be comfortable with that anyway. He didn't mind the kid, but he was stupidly awkward around him sometimes. Steve's never been that great with children, not even Bucky's sisters. He always tried, and he was nice and polite, but he didn't know what to do with them. Loki being Loki just made things weirder.

Stark, on the other hand, seemed to have taken a liking to the kid. Or he was just fascinated by him, Bucky didn't know. Loki liked being allowed in the workshop, to stare at all the inventions, play with the robots, or solve his little puzzle things and then show them off with quiet pride. He was hungry for attention, like most kids were.

It was easy to trust Stark with him, even if he sometimes forgot about trivial things… like bedtime.

HELEN let him in the workshop without a word and Bucky could hear Stark's voice right away. He sounded passionate, so he was probably showing off one of his inventions. Sometimes Bucky was convinced he liked having the kid around because he wanted an enthusiastic audience.

The display Stark was gesturing at had some robot blueprints on them. This was the third time Bucky had to do this, so he didn't mind interrupting.

'It's past nine,' he announced without greeting.

'Come on!' Loki complained.

'Yeah, I know, I'm the worst,' Bucky agreed. He didn't need to ask about food, HELEN was under strict instructions by Dr Karim to give reminders.

'I'm not tired,' the kid said.

'I don't care,' Bucky countered, crossing his arms. Loki gave him one long look, then gave up without further arguing. He knew the drill. At the start, Bucky expected him to be more of a hellspawn, but he was not overly shocked to be proven wrong over the last few weeks.

'Grab the thing,' Stark said. Loki made a detour towards one of the workbenches and picked up something that looked like a little metal ball. He didn't wait for Bucky as he headed towards the elevator.

'I planned the move for next week,' Stark said then, turning to Bucky.

'Yeah, so I've heard,' Bucky nodded. He wasn't sure whether it would be better or worse than in the tower. Change just didn't feel right. He was still uneasy in the tower, but at least he knew the layout and was familiar with it. He's never been to the compound before.

'Take the kid on a trip,' Stark said. 'Just to check out the place, get a feel for it.'

Steve told him once that Stark didn't always pay attention to people, but Bucky didn't necessarily agree with that.

'I should,' Bucky agreed. It was the most logical thing to do. It was going to be rough either way, and he was not looking forward to it, but he had to deal with it one way or another.

'Barton had a list of things he needed,' Stark said then. 'Lights to signal him, for example, if the alarm goes off, or if someone's at his door, that sort of thing.'

That made sense.

'And Pietro asked me to keep furniture to the minimum, because he likes to move around quickly, and believe it or not, he can still trip over shit, especially if it's late or too early.'

Bucky didn't know about that.

'What I'm saying is… there's room for requests,' Stark told him. 'I already know that big windows are a no, but if there's anything else… just make a list, HELEN can take it, you don't need to talk to me about it. There's time to get stuff done.'

Bucky looked at him. Surprisingly enough, he didn't feel any suspicion at the offer. In the past, he might have, but he knew Stark well enough by now. He was just… he was Stark.

'Thanks,' he told him quietly.

'All right, go before Steve makes too much of a fool of himself,' Stark joked. Bucky had to smile at that.

'See you later.'

x-x-x

Steve – apparently – did not make a fool of himself, he looked too relaxed for that. He was on his phone, probably texting Sam from the look on his face. Bucky made a quick detour towards the guest room, now Loki's room. It was on the opposite end of the floor compared to Steve and Bucky's bedroom.

The kid was still up, messing with that metal ball he grabbed back at Stark's workshop. Bucky didn't even need to say anything, just appearing in the doorway made the boy sigh. It was kind of amusing.

'You really are a drill sergeant,' he said, putting the ball on his night stand. The room was impersonal. The kid didn't have any possessions besides the clothes in the closet. There were books lying around, bits and pieces of tech that Stark let him mess around with, and some magical knick-knacks. Bucky never touched those. He had to trust Wanda that they were not too dangerous.

'I was a sergeant, yes, not a drill sergeant,' Bucky told him.

'You would have made a good one,' Loki said, displeasure written all over his face. Bucky didn't comment.

'Wait until Stark gets it in his head that you should go to school,' Bucky warned. The kid scowled at him. In all honesty, this was not just some idle threat he liked to throw around. Stark did make some noise about it. If Thor didn't show up soon they had to think about what to do with the kid long-term. Steve just looked baffled about the whole discussion, but Bucky kind of got it. If Loki had to grow up all over again, they had to try and make sure he didn't get fucked up in the head again.

'Go to sleep or you're going to be too tired to go anywhere tomorrow,' Bucky told him.

'Are we going anywhere?'

'Avengers Compound.'

'I'm not going to be too tired!'

'Sleep. Now.'

The kid muttered something under his nose and dropped back down on the bed, a little dramatically. Yes, Bucky truly was the bane of his existence. He shut the door with an eye roll and made his way back to Steve in the living room.

'I'm surprised he doesn't argue with you more often,' Steve commented. He must've heard the conversation despite the distance. Bucky gave a snort as he sat down on the couch next to him.

'Trust me, compared to the screaming Becca and Louise would do around bedtime, he's a little angel. They were hellions about having to share dollies too. Then Evelyn was born, and damn, she was a screamer as a baby. I swear my ears never recovered.'

Steve chuckled fondly, putting his phone down and turning towards him. He looked soft in the lowered living room lights, warm and welcoming. Bucky wanted to run his fingers down his face, his arm. Steve beat him to it, when he reached out, pushing Bucky's long hair back behind his ear on the right side. He had that sappy look on his face that always made Bucky smile.

Steve touched his face, his jaw first, then he moved his thumb to the skin under Bucky's eye.

'You barely slept last night,' he pointed out.

'I'm fine, it happens, you know that.'

'Not so many nights in a row,' Steve said.

'And when I first moved in to your place, I couldn't sleep there either,' Bucky told him. 'It's fine.'

Steve just looked at him, not saying anything else. He scooted over on the couch to kiss him, his hand still big and warm on Bucky's face.

'Maybe I should tire you out,' Steve suggested. He sounded a little grumpy, but he always did when he couldn't help Bucky with something. He had this urge to fix things, to help, to do something, he was not good at just accepting.

'Maybe you should,' Bucky prompted with a wider smile. 'But I'm pretty hard to wipe out, you might have to get creative.'

'You just had to make it a challenge,' Steve said with a grin. Bucky liked the glint in his eyes as he moved. He gripped the back to Bucky's neck to kiss him again, moving so close that he was practically in Bucky's lap. He was warm and heavy, the scent of his body a familiar comfort. Bucky didn't want to be anywhere else right now.

The noise made them both freeze and tense up. It was like rolling thunder, but sharper, artificial, and very familiar.

'Is that-' Bucky wasn't entirely sure. Steve rolled off Bucky.

'HELEN, status update,' he requested briskly.

' _Bifost activity on the roof level_ ,' HELEN reported right away.

'What was that?' Loki yelled, out of bed and definitely not sleeping.

Steve and Bucky shared a look.

'Thor could've picked a better time to arrive,' Bucky commented.

' _I'm afraid none of the visitors are Thor_ ,' HELEN chimed in.

'Visitors?' Steve frowned, getting to his feet as Loki ran into the living room, probably having a hundred questions already.

Bucky had a bad feeling about this.

'Loki, stay here,' he said.

'But why?'

'Not up for debate,' Bucky told him.

'But-'

'Kid, stay put,' Bucky said, much firmer. It was either Bucky's tone or the look on his face, but Loki fell silent with a nod. It was useless to tell him to go back to bed, so Bucky didn't, he just headed towards the elevator.

'They're from Asgard. How bad could it be?' Steve asked as the door closed.

x-x-x

Only Stark stood in front of the little group up on the roof, the marks left by the Bifrost visible even in the darkness. Bucky took a moment to look at all the Asgardians individually. There were four of them, which just made the bad feeling in Bucky's gut intensify.

The two guys in the back were obviously just soldiers, they wore golden armour and horned helmets. The horns looked a bit weird, kind of like stag beetle antlers or something. They also held spears. Maybe it was distrustful of him, but Bucky never liked weapons that couldn't be holstered or sheathed. The spears were out in the open, held in their hands, ready to be used.

The pair at the front were clearly the ones they actually had to deal with. A black-haired woman and a blond guy. Both wore amour, but their swords were sheathed at their sides at least. They immediately turned to look at Steve and Bucky as they approached and took their place next to Stark. Steve ended up in the middle.

'We're here for the boy,' the woman said.

'Where's Thor?' Steve asked in return.

'See that was my first question too and I'm still waiting for the answer,' Stark said. 'Kind of rude, especially for someone dropping by unexpectedly. I won't mention the damage to my roof,' he added, pointedly looking down at the black scorch marks below the Asgardians' feet.

The woman looked annoyed, but then she took a breath (or it was maybe more a deep sigh) and bowed her head just a little.

'I am Lady Sif of Asgard, this is Fandral,' she said. The blond bloke also gave them a little nod and a smile. 'The All-Father has sent us to retrieve the boy and deliver him to Asgard.'

'You know who he is, right?' Steve asked.

'Do you?' the guy – Fandal – asked with raised eyebrows.

'I still didn't hear the answer to my question,' Stark spoke up again. 'Did I accidentally turn invisible to Asgardians or something?'

'Thor has many responsibilities to the Nine Realms,' Sif said. 'The All-Father sent us in his stead.'

The way she said it, the fact that they were sent by Odin was supposed to be reassuring in some way. It did nothing for Bucky. Thor he could trust, but he never met Odin, and he never met these four either. He wondered again if he was just overly paranoid, but then Stark spoke again.

'Look, Xena, that's great, but I don't think we're comfortable with handing the kid over to four strangers. That's like in the Top 5 of bad ideas in my book.'

'The All-Father has-'

'Sent you, yes, you said that already,' Stark cut her off. 'But I don't know who you are or if I should take your word for it.'

Fandral opened his mouth, but Sif held up a hand before he could speak.

'I understand your concern,' Sif said with another nod. 'But rest assured we have taken precautions, he will not escape our custody.'

There was a beat of silence where the three of them just turned their heads to share the same look.

'Run that by me again?' Stark asked, while at the same time Steve said;

'There seems to be a misunderstanding here.'

'You're here to take him prisoner,' Bucky stated plainly, staring at the two Asgardians.

It was their turn to look mildly confused.

'Why, yes?' Fandral answered while frowning at them.

'He's an eight-year-old child,' Steve said, probably to make sure the Asgardians were aware of this fact.

Sif's face did not change, but Fandral laughed incredulously.

'He's not _actually_ a child, not even mortals can be this gullible,' he said.

'Loki's known for his deceit,' Sif added before any of them could react. 'But he cannot fool the eyes of Asgard. The All-Father will see through his tricks once he's been brought in front of him.'

'No,' Bucky said and only after the word left his mouth did he turn to look at Steve and Stark. They didn't contradict him.

Sif turned all her attention on him, seizing him up.

'No?'

'No, he stays here,' Bucky repeated. The look on her face made Bucky tense up. Steve moved slightly in reaction, squaring his shoulders a bit. It was not openly aggressive, but from Steve even that small shift in his stance was clear as day.

'Some wires obviously got crossed here,' Stark said, still sounding relaxed and friendly. 'So how about this? You go back to Asgard and let Thor know about all this, and then once he's here, we'll sort it through with him.'

'We have our orders,' Sif said. She still didn't look ready to attack or anything, but Bucky definitely felt the tension now.

'Then you can tell the one who gave you those orders what our decision is,' Steve told her conversationally.

Stark sighed. 'HELEN, Code 3VW Blue,' he said, then continued without missing a beat. 'Look, the kid's under my roof, and I say he stays here unless Thor picks him up himself. It's not up for negotiation.'

'You are friends of Thor, so I will treat you with respect,' Sif said. 'But we have a mission to complete. Do not stand in our way.'

That sounded like a threat now, but before anything could happen a bright blue streak of light appeared in front of them and Pietro materialised almost out of thin air with Wanda in his arms. He put her down and moved to stand next to Stark, while Wanda stepped forward in front of them.

'Good evening,' she greeted. She was not wearing any special gear, just soft trousers, a tank top and a pair of trainers she must've slipped into in haste, but then again, none of them were dressed for action. Bucky was in jeans and a sweater, Steve in jogging pants and a t-shirt, Stark in his usual workshop clothes, Pietro… was in his pyjamas. This was the most ridiculous stand-off, considering the Asgardians were head-to-toe covered in metal and leather.

Then Vision slipped through the concrete under their feet. Now, he looked battle-ready, even his yellow cape was in place. He softly landed next to Wanda. The code Stark told his AI must've alerted the three of them.

'You're friends of Thor, so I'm going to say this nicely,' Stark said, obviously a dig at what Sif said to them just before. 'The answer is no, and believe me, we _can,_ and we _will_ stand in your way, so don't make this into something unpleasant.'

Sif squared her shoulders, but Fandral leaned in to whisper something in her ear. She turned slightly towards him and the two of them exchanged a look. Sif turned back to stare at all of them for another long moment, then scoffed quietly.

'We will inform the All-Father of this,' she said.

'You do that,' Tony agreed.

None of the Asgardians had to say anything, the Bifrost just lit up out of nowhere engulfing them in light, and after another moment they were gone, leaving only scorch marks behind.

'That was weird,' Wanda said. 'What just happened?

'Something's not right in Asgard,' Steve said. 'They know about Loki, but maybe Thor's not been told?'

'Oh yes, Thor would definitely come himself if he knew,' Stark agreed.

Bucky just stared at the scowl on Stark's face, not even trying to hide his surprise. Not that he expected… actually, he didn't know what he expected from him. Not unbending resolve. Stark made a face when he looked back at him.

'Come on, he's a kid!' he said. 'Anyone who spends more than a few days around him would realise that.'

'He is,' Bucky agreed. He wasn't sure how to tell him that he didn't expect all of them to side with Loki without sounding like a jerk. Clearly, he underestimated Stark again, he should really know better by now.

'Okay, while I have a lot of questions,' Wanda interrupted. 'Can we continue this inside? It's a bit breezy.'

As one, they all turned and headed back inside without comment.

The elevator was a little cramped, which made both Wanda and Pietro giggle like children. Stark gave them a fond eye-roll. He somehow ended up standing between Steve and Bucky. His height was always a surprise when Bucky stood this close to him, because he was always larger in his mind. Maybe it was the suit, maybe just the strength of his personality.

'So, I didn't read the situation wrong,' Wanda said then. 'We were squaring off with those Asgardians because of Loki.'

'As weird as it is to say that out loud, yes,' Stark said. 'What do we know about Odin anyway?'

'That it's "complicated",' Steve said, he even made the quotation marks with his hands. 'Thor was not always forthcoming with information about his family.'

'He took Loki as an infant from a battlefield,' Bucky said. 'The son of the defeated king. But he never told him that's where he came from, or that he was not related to them by blood. He also had another kid out of wedlock, stashed him away, a dirty secret or insurance for something.'

'So, secretive, lots of skeletons in his closet,' Stark concluded.

'And it's a deep closet,' Bucky nodded. 'But everything I know came from Loki. It's just bits and pieces, he made comments, but we never really talked about him. There's a lot of bad blood.'

'But he's still his father, is he not?' Pietro asked. 'I mean… even if he took Loki, he wouldn't do anything bad, would he?'

Bucky thought about it for a second, then just shrugged.

'I don't know.'

'It doesn't matter what he would do,' Stark said. 'King or not, father or not, we don't know this guy, so we won't hand over the kid, simple as that.'

'And what if they come back?' Steve asked.

'You don't think we can take them?' Stark asked in return.

'Not all of Asgard,' Steve pointed out.

'I doubt it will come to that,' Vision said, speaking for the first time. 'Whatever it may be that keeps Thor away right now, he will not be absent forever. Sooner or later he will find out about all of this, and if I had to guess, I would say he will come to Earth as quickly as possible once he does.'

'My thoughts exactly,' Stark added.

'We do have to tell everyone about this,' Steve said. 'Natasha, Clint, Bruce, everyone.'

'We could round everyone up at the new compound,' Wanda offered. 'Call in Strange too, let everyone know, just in case. Tell them about Loki.'

Stark only thought about it for a second, then he nodded.

'Makes sense to me,' he said, then looked around the elevator in case anyone objected. 'All right then. HELEN, make the call. Code: 28364377-Assemble.'

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

'… _then he'll be off the grid again for another couple of weeks_ ,' Natasha said on the phone. ' _Unless it's urgent.'_

'No, not urgent,' Steve told her. He didn't want to drag Clint back for something that could wait. 'How brief was Tony's message anyway?'

' _It was barely a message, just his standard low priority recall code. I think he just likes using them._ '

She was smiling, Steve could hear it in her voice.

'So, you'll be at the compound by tomorrow?' Steve asked.

' _Or tonight_ ,' she said. ' _I'll see which flight I can catch. But seriously, what's this about?_ '

'I'd rather not do this on the phone, if you don't mind.'

' _That bad, huh?_ ' she asked.

'I wouldn't say bad,' Steve told her right away, but he didn't know what to call the situation. He shut the fridge door and put the phone between his shoulder and his ear to open the juice carton he got out. 'Let's say the situation is "delicate".'

' _Then you definitely need me for it._ '

'You'll be all right with Bucky around, right?' Steve asked quickly, like ripping off a band aid. Natasha sighed.

' _Will he be okay?_ '

'He's doing better,' Steve told her honestly. He had a lot of trust to rebuild with Natasha, which wouldn't be easy. He was grateful that at least she was willing to give him a chance.

' _I'll deal_ ,' she said.

'That's vague.'

' _It's the best I got._ '

He couldn't really demand much else from her, so Steve let it go. He didn't actually expect Natasha to put a few bullets in Bucky the second she saw him.

'Any leads on Yelena or Arcade?' Steve asked, changing the topic. He walked back to the kitchen counter.

' _Nothing on either, they know how to disappear._ '

'You think he's still alive?' Yelena was good at what she did after all.

' _I'll tell you more in person_ ,' Natasha answered after a moment. Maybe she was not in a completely secure location.

'Steve?'

Steve turned around at the voice and found Loki just at the edge of the kitchen area. There was no one else around.

'Gimme a sec,' Steve told Natasha on the phone. 'Yes?'

'James' not back yet,' Loki said.

'No, he'll be back in another hour or so. I thought you'd be down in Tony's garage?' Steve asked in return.

'He had to leave.'

'Wanda?'

'Out with Vision.'

'Pietro?'

'I don't know,' the kid shrugged. Right. Okay.

He lifted the phone again.

'I gotta go.'

' _What was that?_ ' Natasha asked. Steve wondered how much she's heard.

'Part of the "situation",' Steve told her. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

' _Now you made me really curious_ ,' Natasha said, then hung up.

Steve pocketed his phone, then stared at the kid for a moment.

'So… you need something?'

'Tony said not to wander around alone.'

The only other people in the tower outside of the Avengers were Tony's employees, but Steve could see how the kid's presence would raise some questions. Still, Tony could've waited until Bucky got back… maybe it was urgent.

'Uh, are you… hungry?'

'No.'

'Right.'

'And I'm not allowed in Tony's workshop without him,' Loki said. That certainly sounded like a sensible rule, but now Steve was out of ideas on what to do with the boy. It's not like he could just plop him down in front of the TV and expect him to be entertained until Bucky got back. He tried that before, and the kid did not appreciate children's television. Not that Steve blamed him from what little he caught of the programme.

'Right…'

'I'll just wait,' the kid said then and headed towards the living room.

Steve watched him walk away, uncertain. This was a bit awkward, like all his interactions with the boy. Steve's gotten the hang of dealing with Loki in the end, but he didn't know what to do with a child version of Loki. Sometimes he acted like any child would, other times Steve would see a look much older than his round face stare out of those green eyes.

Steve put the juice back in the fridge trying to think of anything. He could ask HELEN to find something to entertain the boy with, but it didn't feel right to just dump him on an AI. He didn't feel any less awkward as he walked closer, trying to figure out what to say. Then all of a sudden, a thought came to him…

'Did Bucky ever tell you about the time he made me throw up on the Cyclone at Coney Island?'

The kid's head spun around to stare at him with quite an impressive speed. He looked Steve up and down.

'No… He told me you don't like parachutes though…'

'That's a different story,' Steve told him. 'And a complete lie.'

'That's not how I heard it.'

'You want to hear the story or not?' Steve asked.

The kid shrugged and said, 'Sure!'

He was way too enthusiastic, and he had a little glint in his eyes. He was probably gearing up to laugh his butt off. Maybe Steve should've picked a different story, but it was the first one to pop into his mind. At least he had plenty of embarrassing stories about Bucky too.

x-x-x

That's how Bucky found them. The kid snickering, mostly at Steve… no, entirely at Steve, but Steve couldn't find it in himself to be bothered by it.

'What did you tell him?' Bucky asked.

'Just… stories,' Steve told him vaguely. Bucky stared at him for a few moments suspiciously, which just made Steve smile cheekily. 'Nothing too bad.'

'I don't believe that for a second,' Bucky said.

'Tony had to leave,' Steve explained, because Bucky probably wondered what was going on.

'I know, he sent me a message,' Bucky nodded. 'You two ready to go?'

'Yes!' Loki agreed, immediately jumping up from the couch. He didn't sprint to get his shoes and jacket, but it was at least a light jog. It was a far cry from the way he used to sneak around the floor silently at the beginning, trying not to get in anyone's way.

Steve jumped when he felt a sting on his neck, but Bucky grabbed him from behind and wrapped his arms around his chest before he could move.

'Did you just bite me?' Steve asked incredulously.

Bucky buried his face in his neck in answer, nibbling on his skin again with his teeth. Now this was a lot more pleasant. The position must've been uncomfortable for Bucky, leaning over the back of the couch like this, but Steve liked having Bucky's arms around him.

'What stories did you tell the kid?' Bucky asked then. Steve grinned.

'Oh, wouldn't you like to know…'

Bucky grumbled something in Russian. He only did that when he was trying to be annoying, but he kissed Steve's check right after, so he clearly was only playing at being mad.

'Stark had to leave to meet with Hill. It's about Burch,' Bucky said then quietly.

'What happened?'

'That PI found the missing girl.'

Steve just knew, just from his tone, that this was not good news.

'Shit… how bad?'

'They had trouble identifying her, that's why it took so long.'

Steve extracted himself from Bucky's arms to stand up. He knew, logically, that people who went missing weeks ago didn't usually turn up fine, but some part of him still hoped that Jaci Nowell would be found alive.

'Can he be arrested for it?' Steve asked.

'We need to talk to Stark about that, but from the way he worded his message… that might be happening right now.'

'Shouldn't Tony stay away from that?'

'Again, no idea what Hill came up with. Maybe they're doing the "anonymous tip" route, that a witness sent Tony the phone in the mail or something. He's a high-profile hero, everybody knows him, so it's not that farfetched. Hell, maybe the PI is still involved in this mess.'

Steve decided to talk to Tony about it once he returned.

'And I think I should take Loki to see his friend Gigi,' Bucky added. 'He never mentions her, but I think it's time. If this turns into a court case, she might need to be moved to a more secure location.'

'And maybe you can ask some questions while you're there?' Steve asked.

Bucky shrugged. 'Two birds.'

'We could make a detour before heading up to the compound,' Steve offered.

'Your face might be a bit too famous... especially for Hell's Kitchen.'

'I can be discreet,' Steve said. 'You'd be surprised how often people don't recognise me when I'm not in uniform.'

'If the press gets wind of it, you can explain it to Stark.'

'Don't be so dramatic,' Steve told him.

'That's rich, coming from you,' Bucky teased. Steve wished he didn't have a thing for that little smirk in the corner of his mouth.

x-x-x

Loki was quiet during the car ride. Bucky ended up driving, while Steve took the front seat next to him. He sent a text to Tony to ask him for an update, but received no response yet, which meant that something really was happening.

'If you don't want to see her, speak up now,' Bucky said, getting the boy's attention.

'I do want to see her,' Loki answered.

'What's it then?'

'Maybe she'll be mad,' the boy said.

'What would she be mad about?'

Steve caught a glimpse of Loki rolling his eyes in the rear-view mirror.

'Cole was an ass, but that doesn't mean Gigi wanted him murdered,' he said.

'That had nothing to do with you,' Bucky told him.

'I took his phone… and then he couldn't give it to them,' Loki pointed out.

'Criminals like that don't tend to spare people just because they get what they want,' Steve spoke up.

'You don't know that!' Loki insisted. 'Maybe they would have just beaten him up. What if she says it was my fault?'

'Is that why you didn't want to check up on her last time?' Bucky asked. Loki didn't say anything, he just glared out of the car window. Even Steve knew that meant "yes" by now.

At the next red-light Bucky turned around in his seat.

'It wasn't your fault,' he told Loki. Steve wasn't sure whether Loki believed him or not, he didn't outwardly react to the words. Bucky kept driving once the light turned green without any other comment.

x-x-x

The building was decent enough, for Hell's kitchen at least. Steve never became familiar with these types of buildings. The building where Steve used to live before the war was tiny and down rotten even compared to this place, while he's been mostly surrounded by luxury ever since he woke up in this century. Suddenly, he felt like he failed to take the time to get to know the real modern-day New York. Bucky effortlessly blended in, even while wearing gloves. He didn't stand out on the street or as he walked down the corridor, not even with Loki on his trail.

'She might not open the door if she sees someone she doesn't know,' Loki said.

'Why wasn't she moved to a safer location again?' Steve asked.

'This place is as safe as it gets in this neighbourhood,' Bucky answered as he gestured at the door at the end of the hallway.

The glass on the door was cracked, a corner missing, but Steve could still easily make out the words "Alias Investigations" on it.

'That would be the private eye, I'm guessing,' Steve said. They were not heading towards that door though, Bucky slowed down halfway down the corridor.

'And she's not even a real witness,' Bucky added, which was true.

'I'll knock,' Loki said, running forward to get to the next door. Steve and Bucky hung back just a little.

The boy stopped in front of the door and hesitated for a moment, but then he squared his shoulders and stepped forward to knock.

Steve could hear movement from inside the apartment, too silent for anyone with normal hearing to notice. The silent steps stopped right on the other side of the door. There was a pause and then a loud curse.

'Fucking hell!' the voice was feminine, and Steve guessed it must've been Gigi. The door was yanked open the next second and a woman… hell, almost just a girl appeared. She looked like she did on the pictures on the phone, but she looked much younger without make-up on.

'Where the shit have you been?!' she asked loudly, immediately crouching down and grabbing Loki by the shoulders. Her nails were painted azure blue and the colour stood out brightly next to her dark skin. She had about average height and she looked athletic, but Bucky did mention that she was a dancer. Her long hair was falling down her shoulders in wild tiny curls.

'I was okay, I told Malcolm-'

'You told Malcolm shit!' she interrupted him sternly. 'You take off with some guy ain't nobody seen before, you don't show your face, no phone call… and you now tell you were o-kay? You got some nerve.'

She didn't spot them yet, standing in the corridor, but then she seemed quite focused on the boy. Steve only saw her profile, but she was scowling something fierce.

'I was fine, Gigi!' Loki insisted.

'People got killed, Luke,' she cut him off again, her voice stern, but wavering a little. 'Not just Cole either… and you just take off…' she fell silent, hanging her head.

'I'm…' he paused, then just sighed. 'Sorry, Gigi.'

'He was fine though,' Bucky spoke up. Gigi yelped and jumped, without letting go of the kid. One moment she was crouching in front of him, then she was backing away towards the door, dragging the boy along. Bucky looked a little startled at her reaction, sudden movements did always make him tense up. It was an appropriate time as any to step in.

'Hi, Gigi, right? Sorry about that,' Steve spoke up, taking off his sunglasses and giving her a smile. 'We didn't mean to scare you.'

Her eyes moved between Bucky and Steve, looking at them both. She didn't exactly relax, but Steve didn't blame her. Maybe he should have let Bucky handle this alone. No woman would feel calm about two strange men showing up at her doorstep. But she did make the logical conclusion after a moment.

'Are you that soldier guy Luke took off with?' she asked. She was still holding onto the boy.

'That would be me,' Bucky told her.

'Gigi, it's fine,' Loki told her. 'That's James, and that's Steve.'

Gigi eyed them for another long moment, her frown firmly in place.

'I've seen you before,' she said then, nodding her chin in Steve's direction. 'Somewhere… you a cop?'

Right, they didn't actually discuss how much they were going to tell her. She didn't seem to recognise him. Just as Steve told Bucky before, not a lot of people did when he was in civilian clothes. He was still wearing his baseball cap too.

'Can we go inside?' Loki asked, interrupting before Steve had to answer. Gigi looked reluctant, but Loki twisted out of her hold to look at her. 'It's fine, I promise,' he said.

'Malcolm just went down to the store,' she said, then she dropped her shoulders, relaxing a bit. 'Come in.'

Gigi dragged Loki inside and Steve and Bucky followed. Malcolm's place was tidy, and as good as it could be in a building like this. His furniture was old, his TV tiny, but everything as clean as possible. Steve could already draw some conclusions about the guy just from looking around.

Gigi made the boy sit on the couch, while she walked further into the apartment, probably to the bedroom. She wasn't gone for long, she returned with a phone in her hand, then she plopped down on the couch next to Loki.

She didn't offer them a seat, not that there was anywhere else to sit, since there was only one couch. The living room felt a little small, with all of them inside.

'Are you supposed to be the brother then?' Gigi asked as she looked at Steve, sounding dubious.

'No, he's still not back,' Loki answered.

'You never told me about a brother,' Gigi turned to look at him.

'I didn't remember him,' Loki shrugged.

'So, what's his problem?' Gigi turned to look at Steve and Bucky again. 'Kid brother goes missing, he don't look for him. And then when someone finds him he still doesn't bother to show up? Who the hell is this guy?'

Bucky looked at Steve and Steve looked back at Bucky. Gigi stared at them suspiciously.

'Did you have to stay here cause those guys are still looking for you?' Loki interrupted again, drawing Gigi's attention. Steve was certain now that he did this on purpose. Gigi must've known too, judging by the look on her face.

'Yeah, one of them was watching my place, even after… after the police were all done. Jessica broke his fucking jaw, cause he was not getting the message. I ain't moving back there.'

'Did you know what Cole got himself into?' Bucky asked. 'Before?'

'I knew he saw something he shouldn't have, and that he didn't want to keep his mouth shut about it.'

'Not like he ever kept his mouth shut about anything,' Loki added.

'He's dead, you can stop talking shit about him,' Gigi reprimanded. Loki only looked a little chastised. 'And don't think you can bullshit your way out of answering me.'

Loki looked over to Bucky, and they shared one of those looks that Steve still couldn't decipher.

'I can't tell you, Gigi,' Loki said. 'It's… a lot.'

She just looked back at him, then sighed.

'In the bedroom, bottom of the closet. I grabbed the rest of your stuff from my place. Go get it.'

Loki didn't need much prompting, he got up right away, only shooting one last look at Bucky. Predictably, Gigi turned to look at Steve and Bucky again as soon as the kid was out of the room.

'You're not gonna tell me anything, are you?' she asked.

They didn't even try to deny that, there was too much they couldn't tell her.

'You are awfully secretive, anyone ever tell you that?'

'On occasion,' Bucky nodded. That got an amused huff out of her. 'If I tell you it's "classified" are you going to throw something at me?' Bucky asked then. The casual tone seemed to be working better with her, but the incredulous look was back all the same.

'Bullshit,' she said, then she just stared at them both. Steve gave her an apologetic look. Maybe "classified" was not the best word, but Loki's identity was a closely guarded secret all the same. They all agreed that he had to be protected from those who would seek to use him in his current state, however long it may last. Just like Strange said; he was and ideal target for those who wanted someone with powers.

Gigi realised after a few moments of silence that they were, in fact, not bullshitting her.

'You serious?' She took another moment to digest this. 'This is not about Cole at all, is it?' she asked.

'Not really, no,' Steve agreed.

'Shit…'

Whatever she thought about all of this, she didn't say. They let her come to her own conclusions, whatever those were.

'Y'know, I told myself a few times that I should just lock the door on him instead of letting him back out on the streets,' she said then, looking away. 'But I didn't wanna be like… and what the fuck do I know about looking after a kid anyway… and I know the goddamn system, so I didn't want Malcolm to take him to them… then this whole shit happened and for those first few days it looked like he got killed cause of it too… puts things in fucking perspective, doesn't it?'

She shook her head, turning to stare out of the window.

'He's a kid, but he's… different. I could tell from the start… and he's not stupid, and I can see he's fine… better even.'

'He's safe,' Bucky said. 'And I was not lying about the brother.'

She gave Bucky another look, a little frown on her face. Steve could hear that Loki already found what he was looking for, but he was hovering by the bedroom door, not coming back out right away.

'You want us to leave you a number?' Steve asked before he could second guess himself. 'You know, to put your mind at ease?'

'I'm not his anybody, I can't demand shit,' she said.

'It would probably put his mind at ease too,' Steve added. She nodded then, reaching for her phone. Steve decided she might as well have his number, since Bucky switched his own way too often. Loki finally decided to walk back in with a plastic bag in his hand, but he made his way over to Bucky first. Steve saw from the corner of his eye as Bucky crouched down in front of him, while Loki handed something over to him. Steve couldn't see what from where he was standing.

'Just so you know,' Gigi said quietly. 'You two are suspicious as all hell.'

'That's actually not something I hear often.'

'With your boy scout face? Yeah, I believe that. Your friend though…'

'He's softer on the inside,' Steve told her with a smile, hoping to elevate some of her worries about them. 'I know this might be hard to believe, but please trust me, he is at the safest place he could possibly be.'

'I don't really need to trust you,' she told him, dropping her voice to almost a whisper. Steve gave her a questioning look. She glanced over to where Loki was still quietly telling something to Bucky.

'I see how he looks at him,' she said. 'Kids don't look like that at adults they don't feel safe with…'

Her tone meant she spoke from experience, but it was not Steve's place to ask or to comment. He just saved her number and pocketed his phone.

x-x-x

They left before Malcolm returned. Bucky hung back for a minute or two by Gigi's door, while Steve and Loki waited by the elevator. Steve had no idea what else he wanted to tell her, but if it was something he didn't want Loki to hear, then it had to be about the murder and Zach Burch.

Loki was a lot more chipper on the drive over to the Avengers Facility, going through a few things in the plastic bag. Steve finally managed to exchange a few texts with Tony about the situation. Zach Burch had indeed been arrested earlier today, but Maria was anticipating a legal shitshow. His father was already kicking up a fuss, and probably planning to arrange some bad press for the victim. Steve felt his anger rising as he read that. Over the years he witnessed quite a few cases like that in the media, the victim's name being dragged into the dirt to get sympathy for the perpetrator. It was vile, unjust, and infuriating.

' _Any bad press for Zach Burch?_ ' Steve texted back.

' _We're planning on it_ ,' came Tony's response, which was reassuring.

Steve started to wonder whether Tony and Maria have done something like this before as they seemed to have a certain routine. He had to ask him another time.

'Is that it?' Loki asked excitedly. Steve pocketed his phone and looked up, seeing the white building in the distance.

'Yep, that's it,' Bucky confirmed, speeding up now that they were on a private road. The kid made a small delighted sound as they all got pressed into their seats a little from the increased speed. Steve shot Bucky an amused look, Bucky only saw it from the corner of his eye, but he still smirked back at him. It was nice to see him in a good mood.

'Do you have lots of jets here?' Loki asked.

'A few,' Steve said.

'Can we go fly with them?'

'Maybe not today,' Steve answered after a moment.

'Don't make promises you don't intend to keep,' Bucky said.

'When have I ever not kept my promises?' Steve asked, mocked offended.

'All right, but I'll pilot, not you.'

'I'm a great pilot,' Steve insisted.

'Sure.'

'I am!'

Bucky just smiled, like an asshole, and Steve couldn't keep the smile off his own face either. He missed Bucky's teasing in the years they were apart.

Bucky slowed down before they got to the main entrance, so he didn't have to hit the brakes too hard in the end. Loki was the first one out of the car, but he stayed put until Steve and Bucky got out too.

'So, who's already here?' Bucky asked as he eyed the building.

'Bruce,' Steve told him. 'Strange might drop by later, but Clint's off the grid and Natasha might not arrive until tomorrow.'

Bucky took a deep breath.

'I can handle Bruce,' he said. Steve grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him towards the entrance, Loki following closely.

x-x-x

 _To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Asgard was the realm of eternal spring, but up on the high peaks of Skornheim the morning wind still carried a chill that was foreign to all other regions. Thor came to like the fresh cool air, it reminded him of flying high above the many different lands of Midgard. He missed the realm and his mortal companions. If Asgard had not demanded his attention he would have returned by now.

He didn't idle up on the cliff for long, he just liked to have a bit of solitude every morning. Not that the warriors of Skornheim or Lady Sigyn were unpleasant company, but he liked to be alone with his thoughts every now and then.

He was greeted by many as he landed down in the stronghold's foggy yard. Skornheim was very different from the great palace of Asgard, reminiscent of King Bor's old mountain fort out in the Asgardian wilderness. Dark stone, dwarven steel, and enchanted wood, not a hint of gold anywhere. Thor never realised as a child, but the stronghold here made it obvious that the golden splendour of the royal city was all his father's doing. The rest of Asgard was built by his forefathers, technology was not absent of course, but the people favoured function over beauty. The stronghold also carried the marks of their history, the outer walls blackened by fire from their ancient wars with Surtur's hordes.

Thor stopped to gaze at the top spires of the robust Gate of the Sons of Ivaldi. Its smooth black surface gleamed in the first rays of the sun even through the thick morning fog. The gate led directly to Nidavellir, built by the dwarves. In his youth it confused Thor how a gate could lead to a different realm, but since then he learnt of the secret pathways on Asgard. It was clear now that the dwarves discovered the natural pathway many years ago and built the gate to control who could enter their realm. It has not been opened once since Thor arrived to Skornheim.

The yard was already filled with soldiers and citizens, and Thor nodded or smiled in greeting as he passed them. He usually had breakfast in the warrior's hall, but this morning Lady Sigyn asked him to join her in the main hall. The lady never asked for anyone just to be social, so Thor knew something must've happened.

Thor liked her well enough, and he could most certainly see why his bother used to be so fond of her when they were young. When she was calm, she was soft-spoken and kind, but in her anger, she was as fierce and unyielding as a Valkyrie. She was certainly well suited to be the Lady of the Castle.

Castle itself, in the middle of the stronghold, was nowhere near as grand as the Asgardian Royal Palace, but it's dark towers were still an impressive sight, intimidating even. Thor climbed the stairs and nodded to the guards stationed outside the open door. The great castle doors were never shut, unless the stronghold was under attack.

He would never call the Castle of Skornheim warm or welcoming, but Thor felt oddly at peace among these walls. Maybe it was just the absence of his father's fury and disapproval. His mood soured as he thought about him. He loved his father, but he's made things in Asgard unnecessarily tense and complicated. Officially, Thor was sent to Skornheim to ensure that Sigyn knew that she was honour-bound to obey her king. In reality, he feared that his father just wanted him out of the way. Odin had to know that Thor would not relay such a message to Sigyn, especially after Thor made his own disapproval clear.

He was reluctant to leave Balder in the palace. He did not fear for his life, but his father's been... unpredictable as of late. And he's never been kind to Balder to begin with. His blood-brother was a strong man, he could take care of himself, especially with his warriors by his side, but Thor couldn't help but worry.

'Good morning, Prince Thor,' he was greeted suddenly. Thor looked up and hastily gave a small bow.

'Lady Sigyn, forgive me, I was lost in my thoughts,' Thor said. She made for a striking image in her gown, her dark hair piled up on top of her head. The skirt was long but light and she wore a leather breastplate. She had no weapon on her side, but there were plenty of swords and spears decorating the walls should she require one.

'That's a common enough occurrence,' she said as she beckoned him closer. She had indeed found him gazing up at the sky deep in thought a great many times.

The main hall was half-filled with people, in the middle of their morning meal, but Sigyn had her own table at the end of the hall. The two of them made their way over there. Thor enjoyed the casual atmosphere, that the people didn't feel the need to stand up and bow to them as they passed.

Thor was surprised when Sigyn didn't take a seat at her table but walked past it towards one of the doors. He was convinced now that she had something of great importance to discuss.

'One of my warriors arrived back from the palace last night,' she said as soon as the door closed behind them. A messenger that arrived in the dead of the night was never a good sign in Thor's opinion.

'It's best if he explains the reason for his return to you personally,' Sigyn added.

'You seem calm, my Lady,' Thor pointed out. 'So, I trust nothing too dreadful has occurred.'

'How dire this news is, is for you to decide,' she said.

'Well, you've never been one for comforting words,' Thor smiled. She gave him an amused look in return.

'You hardly need coddling or platitudes, so I won't insult you by offering them.'

Thor laughed softly as she finally slowed her stride and stopped in front of another door that she pushed open without pause.

Thor recognised the young man that waited for them inside the sitting room. He mostly saw him whenever he chose to join Balder and his warriors for a meal instead of his father. Balder and his father yet to sit at the same table even once. He couldn't fault Balder for it, he was mostly just disappointed in Odin himself for his behaviour towards his youngest.

The man bowed his head in greeting once Sigyn and Thor were inside.

'Eirik, are you?' Thor asked.

'Yes. I am, my prince,' he seemed surprised that Thor remembered his name, but he found his composure very quickly. He was young still, maybe younger than Balder even, his fair hair unusually short. He had a soft face, so maybe he dreaded to make it look even softer with long locks. Loki was just the same on the cusp of manhood, only letting his hair grow out once his features sharpened.

'Has Lady Sigyn told you why I'm here?' Eirik asked then.

'No,' Thor said. 'So, tell me, what news do you bring from Balder?'

'It's not quite Balder who sent me,' Eirik said, surprising Thor. 'Not fully at least, but he agreed I should come.'

'Who sent you then?'

'Heimdall did, my Prince.'

Now that put a frown on Thor's face. Eirik continued, clearly seeing his confusion.

'Kára of the Valkyrie pulled me aside while I was on guard duty late at night. She took me to the Bifrost, making sure we were not seen by any. Heimdall was there alone, that's when he told me that I had to come here.'

Thor's mind was coming up with a thousand reasons why Heimdall sought to reach him in secret, none of them good.

'What message do you bring from Heimdall then?' He also wondered why Heimdall chose Eirik out of everyone to be his messenger, but that question could wait.

'Your brother lives,' Eirik said.

Thor inhaled deeply, his breath almost catching in his throat. Three words he's been waiting to hear for so long now. He asked both Heimdall and Brunnhilde again and again whether they could see Loki, but neither could, not anywhere in the wide universe. Yet Thor hoped, chose to believe that his brother was not gone forever. He chose to believe that Loki would be in his future and not just in his past.

His father told him that he should accept the truth and allow himself to mourn, but Thor refused. He couldn't bring himself to mourn for Loki again. He kept the warm flame of hope alive in his heart despite everything. And now that fire roared back to life in but a second.

'When… where?' Thor asked, not even sure what to ask first. 'I doubt he returned to Asgard.'

'Midgard,' Eirik said. 'And Heimdall found him about two fortnights ago.'

'Why have I been not told sooner then?' Thor asked, his joy tainted by anger.

'That's why Heimdall sent me,' Eirik said. 'The All-Father decided not to send word to you.'

'Why?'

'That I don't know,' Eirik said. 'He sent Lady Sif to capture Prince Loki. She took Fandral and two Einherjar with her.'

Dread filled Thor at the sound of that. Loki would not return to Asgard willingly, especially not if Sif and Fandral requested it. His brother was many things, but easily swayed was not one of them. Sif was stubborn too, she rarely took no for an answer when it came to missions like this. If she challenged Loki… Sif was a formidable warrior, but Loki was more powerful than most of Asgard would believe. Odin must've been mad sending them after him.

'Have they returned safely?' Thor asked. He didn't need to ask whether they succeeded in retrieving Loki, he just wanted to know whether Loki harmed them.

'Aye, they returned unharmed,' Eirik nodded. 'Empty handed, of course.'

'If my Father wanted to keep this from me, then Heimdall did well sending you to me,' Thor said. 'But I cannot fathom what the All-Father hopes to achieve by trying to keep this a secret.'

Odin and his damn secrets, Thor had long grown tired of them. Thor would've found out sooner or later, so what was the point?

'There is more,' Sigyn spoke for the first time since they've stepped into the room.

'Heimdall told me that while Loki's body perished, his spirit lives on, that he once again returned in a new form…' Eirik said. 'I can only guess what that means.'

'I know very well what it means,' Thor told him. This news did not surprise Thor as much. He's witnessed Loki's transformation before. He wondered curiously whether he currently had a brother or a sister… or perhaps neither. Not that it mattered what new shape Loki returned in, Thor was just glad to hear he was alive.

'Well,' Eirik rubbed his short hair. 'Heimdall said he was vulnerable right now. Maybe that explains why the All-Father thought four warriors would be enough to bring him back.'

That was… concerning news. Loki made some powerful enemies when he challenged the ancient demon Chthon. But if Sif and Fandral returned to Asgard without him, then Loki couldn't have been that defenceless.

'He's with friends, Heimdall said, but he advises you to return to Midgard with haste,' Eirik added.

Friends… James Barnes was certainly a friend of Loki, so maybe his brother sought him out in his hour of need. And the Captain was never far from his love. The rest of the Avengers… if Loki behaved perhaps they have established a tentative peace.

Then Eirik's expression turned grim.

'Balder told me to warn you before I left; should you return to the palace the King might not allow you to go.'

'I am more and more concerned about Odin's actions of late,' Sigyn said. 'The people of Asgard deserve better than lies and deception.'

'I am concerned as well,' Thor admitted. 'Things have not been the same since we lost Loki… that first time. Once that first ugly lie was uncovered. And then we lost my Mother…' Thor sighed.

'Asgard's golden light dimmed once her radiant spirit left it,' Sigyn agreed solemnly. 'I agree that you should return to Midgard. Heimdall would not have claimed that Loki was in a vulnerable state if it were not so. However, I fear for Balder's safety if you will be absent for long.'

And wasn't that just another shard of ice in Thor's heart; that his young blood brother might be in danger in Asgard's golden palace.

'You could ask him to return to Skornheim, but he might prove to be reluctant,' Thor said.

'He will not hide from Odin,' Eirik stated firmly.

'He most certainly will not,' Sigyn agreed. 'If there is one thing he inherited from Odin, it's his stubbornness.'

'I do not doubt Balder's strength,' Thor said.

'But the Einherjar's loyalty is to the King,' Sigyn said. 'And your golden palace has very deep dungeons.'

Thor was torn. He had a duty to Asgard and that duty included maintaining the peace. Recently, that meant keeping peace between Odin and Balder. He wanted to return to Midgard quickly, just as Heimdall advised, but he couldn't be careless right now.

Sigyn seemed to have come to some decision as she nodded to herself.

'Very well,' she said. 'It is time for a long overdue visit to the royal palace then.'

Thor just stared at her for a moment silently.

'If you arrive to the palace with an army at your back…'

'I do not intend to take all of the warriors with me,' she told him with a pleasant smile. 'But I will take enough to discourage any ill-advised course of action.'

The look in her eyes was sharper than the finest blade.

'If Odin takes it as a challenge, you could start a war,' Thor warned.

Sigyn lifted her chin, and there was not even a flicker of hesitation on her face.

'If Odin looks at his own people standing at his gate and can only see enemies, then perhaps war is exactly what he deserves.'

Thor saw from the corner of his eye that Eirik straightened up in reaction to her steely declaration.

'You cannot want that,' Thor told her.

'I do not,' Sigyn agreed. 'But I will do what I must for the good of Asgard.'

She meant it too. Thor took a large breath.

'You are not actually reassuring me that it is safe for me to leave,' Thor told her.

'I don't intent to march to the palace as a conqueror,' Sigyn said. 'I do not seek war, but I am ready for it. I _will_ defend my people if I must.'

'My Father used to say that too,' Thor mused.

'These are uncertain times,' Sigyn continued. 'But if you have any faith in Balder and any trust in me, then you know you can leave Asgard.'

His heart was pulling Thor in two different directions, but then he looked at Sigyn, standing tall and glorious, and he remembered the fire he always saw in Balder's eyes. He thought of Heimdall and Brunnhilde, standing together as Asgard's great guardians. The people of Asgard had many champions, his home would be safe, but Loki… who else would seek out his brother if not Thor? He couldn't send anyone to Midgard in his stead, Loki would not trust any of them.

He didn't even need to speak a word, Sigyn saw it on his face that he has made his decision.

x-x-x

Finding his way back to Midgard without the Bifrost was a challenge, but it was not an impossible task. He knew there were secret pathways around Asgard, but he didn't know where to look for them without his brother's aid. With Lady Sigyn's aid however, the solution was simpler than Thor expected.

'I thought only the dwarves could open the Gate from their end?' Thor asked as he looked up at the black gate of the Sons of Ivaldi.

'Yes, but I have my way to ask them to open it for us,' she said. 'This is not common knowledge, for reasons you surely understand.'

'And you really think the dwarves have their own way to reach Midgard? When they needed aid, we could only every reach them with the Bifrost'

'They might not have a way to transport entire armies, but I don't doubt they can help you… there will be a price though. And you will need to bargain with Eitri yourself.'

Thor just grinned at the look she gave him.

'Eitri likes me,' Thor declared cheerfully.

'If you say so.'

Sigyn walked closer to the gate. Thor followed, but at a slower pace, allowing a small distance to appear between them. Her way of opening the gate appeared to be a closely guarded secret and Thor was not here to learn things that were not for him to know. So, he didn't actually see what Sigyn did, but he noticed when the stone pillar in front of her lit up with magic. The deeply carves sigils that decorated the dark stone pulsed with power for long moments.

Sigyn walked back to Thor's side and waited. Thor eyed the gate curiously. He only saw this gate open once and he still remembered the sight fondly.

When the glow suddenly vanished Thor stared at the gate in confusion for a second, but when he glanced at Sigyn she was still just waiting patiently. A moment later the gate started to hum. Thor knew no other word to describe the sound. The dark stone hummed in a deep resonating melody, both a rumble Thor could feel in his chest and a light tune that tickled his ears.

The stone started to shift, dislodging some dust that gathered on its surface. The doors were made up of thousands of small pieces. The round parts spun like cogwheels, the rectangular ones moved and shifted aside, back towards the pillars. And slowly the gates opened. The sight beyond was a lot familiar now than it was the first time Thor saw it. The mouth of a cave filled with colourful crystals and in the darkness of the tunnel the endless void of space.

'Time to go,' Sigyn said. 'They won't keep the way open for you for long. I'll tell Odin that Nidavellir requested your aid. If Heimdall keeps silent, he will never know where you went… at least not right away.'

'Thank you for your help, Lady Sigyn,' Thor said. 'And not just with the gate…'

'Have faith in us, Thor,' she said. 'Asgard's woes are not a burden you can carry on your own.'

Thor gave her nod then spun Mjölnir and flew into the gate. The cave itself was short, almost as soon as Thor was inside he could feel the energy snapping around his limbs, pulling him forward, much faster than he could've flown on his own. Then he was out in space. The sight was almost like travelling with the Bifrost… but the feeling. The pull was unpleasant, the passage unstable and wild. His stomach kept sinking and rising. Thor was not worried for his safety, but he was glad now that he did not stop for breakfast before he left.

When the energy abruptly let him go he tried his best to land on his feet, but his momentum was too fast. He saw the smooth stone floor only a moment before his face smacked into it. Not the most dignified arrival.

He heard a quiet rumbling laugh and he turned his head to spot two enormous boots.

'Graceful as ever,' Eitri said. Thor could not fault him for his mirth, he was lying on the floor after being spat out by a cosmic pathway after all. Thor got to his feet and shot the dwarf a grin, looking up at his smirking face.

'Thank you for opening the gate, Eitri,' Thor said to him. 'I'm most grateful.'

'I'm just confused,' Eitri said. 'Why come here through this gate and not use the Bifrost? What are you up to?'

Thor really did like Eitri, but dwarves never did any favours for free, not even for a Prince of Asgard. He sighed and said, 'I need your help.'

x-x-x

'I don't know,' Eitri scratched at his beard. 'Odin's still King, you know. He could accuse me of treason.'

They sat at a table in one of Eitri's smaller workshops, each with a tankard of ale. Eitri listened quietly while Thor talked, slowly finishing his drink. He was dressed very casually, for a king, he wore his work clothes, signed by fire and smudged with soot. He must've been by his forge when Sigyn made the unexpected call to Nidavellir. Even his long hair was in a bit of a disarray.

'For helping me get to Midgard?' Thor asked.

'You never know with him,' Eitri shrugged. 'Now, if it were simply a deal and not a favour…'

Thor shook his head, but he had to smile too.

'You don't need to twist my arm, Eitri. I knew you would want something in return, so name your price.'

Eitri huffed, getting up from his large chair.

'No patience for the fine art of bargaining in you,' he said, chiding him. 'Your brother's always been more fun to make deals with.'

'I mean no disrespect Eitri, I would just rather get to Midgard as quickly as possible.'

Eitri just grumbled something quietly, but then gestured Thor to follow him.

There were a lot of dwarves around once they reached the main crafting hall. The air was shimmering with the heat of the forges, most of all the grand forge, heated by the dying star Nidavellir was orbiting.

'I have one way to get you to Midgard fast,' Eitri said. Thor had to walk quickly to keep up with the dwarf's giant steps. 'But I will want something of equal worth in exchange.'

'If it is mine to give, then the deal sounds fair.'

'Don't agree quite so readily,' Eitri warned.

Thor eyed the weapons and armour lining the walls as they moved further down the long crafting hall. Other dwarves were working on machines Thor has never seen before. He was curious about them but did not slow down. If he had the time, he would stop to admire the magnificent work the dwarves did.

When they arrived Eitri lifted his arm without a word. Thor looked up to see what he was pointing at and saw a great battle axe. Eitri walked closed to the weapon and Thor followed. The axe had a long slightly curved haft, while the poll was shaped like a hammer.

'Definitely one of your finest works,' Thor said, staring at the weapon. 'If not the finest of them all'

'I have given it the name; Stormbreaker,' Eitri said. 'It is mighty, forged from uru… a King's weapon.'

Thor turned away from the axe to look at Eitri.

'No, I have not intended to give it to you… not yet,' the dwarf said. 'You're not a king yet. I don't know if your power has grown enough to wield this weapon.'

'I already have a weapon, Eitri. Mjölnir has served me well.'

'But that hammer was not intended for you,' Eitri said.

Which was true, since Mjölnir was forged long before his birth, but Thor didn't think that mattered much. He earned the right to wield Mjölnir.

'I had a dream…' Eitri continued. 'A dream of a great war with many deaths. Perhaps a vision sent to me by the Norns, a dreadful nightmare. Whatever it was, whoever sent it, when I woke up I knew I had to forge this weapon. I worked day and night, like a man possessed, and finally I finished it just a few days ago… and now here you are, as if summoned. Curious thing indeed.'

Thor turned back towards the weapon, considering Eitri's words.

'I too had a vision of the future,' he said. 'A Vakyrie aided me… I saw destruction, a battle on Midgard.'

'Then perhaps there really are dark times ahead,' Eitri said, nodding grimly.

Thor couldn't help but think of Leah. She vanished when Loki did not return from Chthon's realm. She said she couldn't exist without him. Perhaps now that Loki was back… she was certainly someone known to pull invisible strings. They have already avoided one dreadful future. Maybe she was out there somewhere guiding them to avoid another.

'I have never forged a weapon stronger than this one…' Eitri said then. 'It can do more than just enhance your power… it can summon a Bifrost.'

Thor's head snapped back towards Eitri, almost shocked at the news. Not even his father's spear Gungnir was capable of this.

'I doubt I have anything of equal value, Eitri,' Thor said.

'Perhaps not equal, but close enough,' the dwarf king said. 'If you feel confident you can wield its power, then you can have the Stormbreaker… if Mjölnir is returned to me.'

Thor's hand instinctively tightened around his hammer. Give up Mjölnir?

'But why do you want it?' Thor couldn't help but ask.

'Odin's enchantment intrigues me,' Eitri said. 'Makes Mjölnir valuable enough to exchange it for Stormbreaker.'

Thor glanced down at his hammer in his hand. He came to Nidavellir knowing that Eitri would not aid him for free, but Mjölnir? Stormbreaker was a mighty and powerful weapon, but Thor still found himself hesitating. He could face his father, demand to be allowed to return to Midgard. His Father might deny it… then Thor would have to leave by openly disobeying the King, forcing Heimdall or Brunnhilde to commit treason by allowing him to use the Bifrost. Balder would take his side, angering Odin even more… he couldn't do that, not when Asgard was in such a fragile state.

His brother needed him… the choice was clear. Thor lifted Mjölnir, looking at it again more closely, remembering all the battles he fought with his weapon. He would miss its familiar weight, the sound it made when it flew, but he had to do this… he had to.

'Very well,' he agreed quietly.

Eitri smiled, pleased with his decision. It was a little odd, that he was so willing to part with his best weapon yet so easily, but perhaps his vision had something to do with it.

'Good-good. Now, until I figure out your Father's _clever_ enchantment, I'd rather you just left Mjölnir right here on this stand,' Eitri said. Sure enough, Thor spotted an empty pedestal to the side.

Putting Mjölnir on the stand felt… like letting go of a part of himself. But he could also feel Stormbreaker calling to him, in a way not even Mjölnir ever called to him. Perhaps that's what Eitri meant when he said Mjölnir was not forged for him. Stormbreaker had never been wielded by another, and Eitri had him in mind when he crafted this weapon. This battle axe was made for him, his hand, and his power over storms, lightning, and thunder.

'Go on,' Eitri encouraged. 'Take it then, I recognise the look in your eyes.'

Thor did not hesitate. He lifted his arm instead of walking up to the weapon and, as expected, the axe flew into his hand readily, almost eagerly. Thor could feel a storm building under his skin the moment he touched the long haft.

He didn't notice the electricity scorching the air all around him, small flashes of lightning running up and down his skin. He was lost in the feeling of Stormbreaker's magic resonating with the power inside of him in perfect harmony.

'You have grown strong, Odinson,' Eitri said, unbothered by the small lightning storm in his workshop. 'It suits you well. Safe travels.'

And with that, he just turned and left, but then, he's never been much for fanfare. He was probably busy with work and was eager to return to it.

Thor eyed his new weapon for another moment as the storm inside him quieted down. Eitri told him the truth, he knew he could travel to Midgard with the aid of this axe, he could feel it. He looked at Mjölnir one last time, as a final goodbye, then turned to go. He had no more time to waste.

x-x-x

Summoning the power of the Bifrost with Stormbreaker was unlike anything Thor's ever experienced before. It was nothing like the storms he summoned. It was so much more. The sheer power at his fingertips was almost daunting. The way the cosmic pathway opened for him towards Midgard was exhilarating. The journey was steady and straight, just like the Bifrost always was. Stormbreaker's magic was wholly under Thor's will, a far cry from the wild energies of the pathway he took to Nidavellir.

He was glad Eitri has not forged this weapon sooner. His younger, more foolish self would have been unworthy of such power. He would've misused it, it would've fed the wild beast that was his arrogance. Even his mind might have crumbled under the weight of Stormbreaker's strength.

The journey to Midgard was not significantly longer than it would've been from Asgard and soon Thor's feet touched down on the familiar roof of Stark's tower. He glanced down at the concrete and noticed that the marks burnt into the ground were slightly different from what he was used to see. At first glance it appeared almost the same, but Thor saw the Bifrost marks enough to notice minor differences.

'Thor, welcome back,' Vision greeted him as he appeared before him.

'Apologies, my friend,' Thor said. 'I've not noticed you approaching.'

'I've been told before that I'm too quiet,' Vision said with a mild smile, then he stepped forward to take Thor's hand in greeting. Thor gave him a smile in return.

'A new weapon, I see,' Vision said as he glanced down at the axe. 'I'm almost afraid to ask what happened to Mjölnir.'

'Nothing sinister, thankfully,' Thor told him. 'I had to exchange it for this one.'

Vision looked curious, but he did not ask.

'We've been all waiting for you,' Vision said then. 'We expected you sooner, to be honest. Especially after the… unpleasantness of the last visit we had from Asgard.'

Thor frowned. He knew Sif was sent after Loki, and he assumed Loki was with his friend James Barnes, but now he had confirmation that the other Avengers were also involved in the confrontation.

'Is everyone unharmed?' Thor asked hurriedly. Eirik told him that Sif and Fandral returned to Asgard safely, so he hoped none of his mortal friends got hurt either.

'It did not come to blows,' Vision said, dissipating Thor's worries. 'Wanda and I were able to convince them that drawing their weapons would be unwise.'

'I'm glad to hear that,' Thor said. 'But I don't quite understand. I would not have expected you all to stand between Loki and Asgard like this, not even after everything that happened.'

Vision frowned lightly.

'We could hardly hand him over to be chained and dragged off to Asgard the way he is right now.'

He sounded almost baffled by the very idea. If the Avengers thought that it would be unjust to allow Loki to be captured and imprisoned… by the Nine, that did not bode well. Maybe his brother couldn't return from Chthon's realm whole, maybe escaping from the demon god left him even weaker than Thor first assumed.

'I've been told Loki's vulnerable. Is it truly so serious then? What happened to him? Where is he?'

Vision tilted his head as he looked at Thor.

'Oh, you do not know,' he said in surprise. 'The other Asgardians seemed well informed…'

Thor let out an angry noise.

'My Father kept this from me,' Thor rumbled angrily. 'Loki came back, and they wouldn't even send word to me! If not for Heimdall and the Valkyrie, I still wouldn't know! I came here as soon as I could. Please Vision, tell me, what ails Loki?'

Vision considered him for a moment.

'He's well,' he said then, probably attempting to sound reassuring, but he was not very good at it. 'But perhaps it's best if I take you to him.'

He took to the skies immediately and Thor followed. Flying with Stormbreaker was… different, but Thor pushed aside the thought. There was no time to muse about his new weapon. He was just glad that his instincts were correct, Loki did need him. Despite the worry he felt for his brother a weight lifted from his shoulders. He made the right choice coming to Midgard, his Father be damned.

x-x-x

Thor spotted the unfamiliar complex long before they arrived, but he didn't need to ask what this place was once he spotted the large "A" logo on the roof of one of the buildings. Stark must have decided that a new headquarters was in order. Thor did not disagree, not after the last battle that took place at the tower.

Vision landed softly by one of the entrances. Thor landed a bit more heavily, but he took care not to crack the pavement accidentally. The doors opened for Vision automatically and Thor followed him hurriedly, their capes billowing behind them.

The interior was sleek, bright, and open, as expected from Stark.

'This is to be our new base of operations,' Vision answered his unvoiced question. 'The move is not quite complete yet, but some of us decided to relocate in advance.'

'And Loki's here with the rest of you?'

Thor couldn't keep the disbelief out of his tone.

'This way,' Vision said, avoiding his question. Thor was getting impatient. He needed to know what was wrong with his brother and he couldn't understand why Vision couldn't just tell him.

Thor had a frown firmly on his face by the time he and Vision reached the top of the stairs. They arrived in a large living room. White walls, red and soft brown furniture. There was a table with many chairs at one end, which Thor knew for sure were for mission briefings. He also spotted a kitchen. His friends were by the sofas though, Steve, Tony, Bruce and Natasha. Thor didn't catch what they were discussing, but it must've been something serious, from the stern look on Natasha's face. Steve and Bruce looked calm, while Tony looked stressed… and stubborn.

They all turned and looked up when Vision and Thor arrived. Most of them looked relieved to see him, which just made Thor more worried.

'Man, you really took your time,' Tony said in lieu of a greeting. 'We expected you weeks ago.'

'I have not been told,' Thor said gravely. 'No, that makes light of the situation. My Father kept this from me.'

'That explains a few things,' Natasha sighed.

Steve and Tony exchanged a look.

'Are things in Asgard really that bad?' Steve asked. His concern for Thor's world and people warmed Thor's heart.

'My father's stubborn as an ox and can't fathom being in the wrong,' Thor said. 'It will be well. Now, my brother… I must see him. I've been told he's not well, but I still do not know what ails him.' He shot Vision a displeased look at that, because he should've just told him already.

'He doesn't know,' Vision added.

'I would know if you spoke plainly!' He's never been known for much patience, but even his small reserves were running low now.

'This ought to be good,' Tony said as he headed out. Thor followed and so did Steve. Vision remained behind with Bruce and Natasha.

'Nice axe, by the way,' Tony commented as they walked. 'New model?'

'I will sate your curiosity once I've spoken to my brother,' Thor told him firmly. Tony wisely noticed that he was not in a talkative mood and did not ask about his weapon again.

'He's fine, you know,' Steve spoke up then. 'He's not hurt or anything, so you can relax.'

'You are all so secretive about this,' Thor grumbled.

'It's not that… it's just much easier if you see him in person.'

Tony stopped by a half-open door and glanced back at Thor. Thor caught the murmur of James' voice before Tony knocked on the wood and pushed the door open. It was unusually polite of him, but then, James Barnes was not someone you wanted to surprise, that much Thor knew about the man. Steve gestured for Thor to follow. He didn't know what he expected to see, but his muscles tightened in trepidation just before he stepped inside.

Later, he would be embarrassed by the fact that he dropped Stormbreaker right then and there, the axe landing on the carpet with a heavy thud. The vision of that snow-covered field came back to him so viscerally that he could almost feel the icy wind on his face again… and the small figure with the raven-black hair all alone in the endless frost… and now he stared at a soft round face and two sharp green eyes. He was speechless and rooted to the spot.

The boy sat on the floor in front of James, some tiny Midgardian machine in his hands, all but forgotten now as he stared back at Thor. James broke the silence when he leaned closer to the boy.

'Do you recognise him?' he asked.

That question alone was enough to set Thor's mind racing. There was no doubt in his mind that he was looking at his brother, but he was different. The expression on his face, the way he sat there on the carpet, the way he held his body, it was a sight Thor couldn't recall from their childhood.

The boy stared at him with widened eyes. He looked at Thor with some recognition, but he did not move or say anything. Then a small shine of tears sprung into his green eyes, which finally made Thor move. He towered over the boy, so he was quick to lower himself to his knees. Loki looked even younger up close, his shoulders were small and delicate… vulnerable. Thor was lost for words for long moments looking at him.

'Hello, brother,' he said in the end, just to say something.

'Hi,' Loki greeted as well. The softness of his tone made him sound shy or unsure, but he still just kept staring at Thor. 'You came,' he said then, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

'Of course, I did,' Thor told him. 'As quickly as I could.'

Loki nodded, then finally looked away from Thor's face. He started looking at his armour, taking in the details, he even reached out towards his vambrace curiously, but he hesitated.

'It's fine, it's fine,' Thor said with a smile, reaching out towards Loki so he could look at the engravings more closely. His brother always liked fine craftsmanship, even as a boy. Thor kept the smile on his face, but he felt overwhelmed. This wasn't just a new shape; his brother was a child. He was so small, young and fragile.

Odin must have known, but he still sent Sif and Fandral to "capture" him. Why? Why?

There was a spark of electricity when Loki reached out towards the metal and the boy pulled his hand back hastily.

'Sorry,' he said as he clutched his own hand. 'It happens with Wanda… So, you're magic too!'

'Don't worry, it won't hurt,' Thor told him, keeping the smile on his face and trying his best to shove the anger at his Father to the back of his mind. There was a trick Loki liked when they were growing up. In hindsight, it was dangerous when they were kids, but Thor had better control now. He let a small lighting spark up in his hand, the electricity running up and down his forearm and between his fingers.

Loki's eyes lit up in delight, just as Thor expected, and he reached out towards him again, his fingertips lightly catching a few small sparks.

'I can do fire, but Doctor Strange said not to when he's not around,' the boy said.

'Control is an issue,' James added, as an explanation.

'I haven't even set fire to anything,' the boy complained, shooting James a sulky look. That look Thor was more familiar with, but it was still odd to see it again.

Thor let the sparks vanish, suppressing them again. It took a moment for Loki to look up at his face again.

'So, if you're back… does that mean we have to leave?' he asked. He directed the question at Thor, but he quickly turned to look back at James again, as if seeking reassurance.

Thor thought of Asgard and his Father, and he had to swallow his anger firmly once more…

'No, we'll stay for a while,' Thor told him. Loki's smile was small, but the spark of happiness in his eyes spoke louder than words. And Thor… he had a lot to figure out.

x-x-x

 **Author's Note:**

Hey everyone! Thank you for supporting this story and following it along. I'm happy to say that I've been accepted to a Creative Writing Master's Degree course that starts this September! (Yay!) But I will still be working full-time alongside my studies. This means that the free time I spent writing fanfics will have to go into writing and reading for my course. I have every intention of finishing this story, but unfortunately it might go on hiatus from time to time.

Thank you for your understanding and wish me luck!

-Scy 29-07-18


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Tony waited a few minutes, just stopped talking and moving, just to see if the kid would notice. He did not. He called his name once already, but the kid didn't even twitch.

'Bambi!' he called a bit louder, and finally that dark head whipped up to stare at him. 'What's the rule around the workshop?' he asked.

'Pay attention?'

'Pay attention, or you will blow your little fingers off,' Tony agreed.

'Sorry,' the boy sounded a bit too timid for Tony's liking. He's not been like that since the first two weeks or so.

'What's going on with you?' Tony asked more quietly, abandoning his computer. Loki was sitting on the tall bar stool that mysteriously made its way into Tony's workshop. It was a mystery, Tony told anyone who asked. He most certainly did not bring it down from upstairs himself, underestimating its weight, bruising his damn thigh before even getting the thing in the elevator. It did not happen, HELEN was sworn to secrecy.

The boy's been in a bit of a rollercoaster mood since Thor returned. Bouncing back and forth between excited and disturbingly quiet and pensive. He was either badgering his brother with endless questions or avoiding him like a little creeping shadow. Tony wondered whether he was getting some memories back, or maybe there were some emotions associated with Thor bubbling to the surface. Tony didn't ask… yet.

The boy squirmed on his chair a little, reluctant to answer for few moments.

'Thor wants to go visit his girlfriend,' he said.

'Okay?'

'And he wants me to go too,' Loki finished. Tony waited a bit for him to continue, but the boy said nothing else.

'I'm still not getting the issue,' Tony admitted. Loki sighed dramatically, and Tony almost couldn't resist smiling at it. He's been getting increasingly familiar with Loki's "adults are so difficult" sigh. As if anyone could really follow the way this kid's brain was wired. Sometimes when he opened his mouth the most mundane kid shit came out, like the day he decided that purple fruits are not good and should not be eaten. He had a list of reasons why and none of them made a lick of sense. The frowny look on Cap's face was pure gold. He tried so hard to nod along and make sense of the whole monologue, bless his heart.

Other days… on worse days, the things Loki casually mentioned were a lot less amusing. Some of it was expected from a boy who spent too much time on the streets of New York, but the rest had to come from remnants of the old Loki. Like bad dreams about things he did not understand, or seemingly inconsequential things that turned him silent and upset.

'What if she won't like me?' Loki asked then.

All right, so this was just mundane shit then, Tony decided.

'What, Foster? Nah, she's all right,' Tony said casually as he inspected some of the things on the table the kid decided to take apart. They were all harmless trinkets Tony gave him to occupy himself with. The fact that he didn't put any of them back together yet was telling.

'She's an astrophysicist, mostly theoretical, but someone did tell me she builds a hell of a lot of equipment herself. If you have any burning questions about wormholes, she'll keep you entertained all day.'

Loki looked thoughtful.

'What if _I_ don't like her?' he asked. At that Tony had to laugh.

'Then you're going to do the big boy thing and not be a little jerk about it.'

Loki gave him a little smirk, which said that Tony might have been asking for too much there. Well, this was something Thor would have to deal with.

There was a knock. Tony turned he spotted Rhodey on the other side of the protective glass around his workshop. As soon as Tony spotted him, he moved to the door to enter his code to come inside.

'All right play time's over, squirt,' Tony said.

'Are you going to talk about boring adult things?' the kid asked.

'I'm offended by that accusation,' Tony told him. The kid just smiled, all angelic and innocent. Pff, what a lie. 'And don't think I won't make you clean up this nonsense here,' he added, gesturing at the table. 'And I will know if you make Dum-e do it.'

Tony got a little annoyed huff for that.

'It's not fair you have a spy everywhere,' Loki said, making it sound _so_ unfair. Tony resisted the urge to smile again. He actually found the dramatic sulking quite entertaining.

'Yes, my heart bleeds for you,' Tony deadpanned.

The kid sprinted across the room and Tony didn't feel like telling him not to run around. Only Barnes ever had any kind of success with those kinds of orders.

'Hey, watch it,' Rhodey warned as the boy ran past him, and sure enough, Loki ignored him. Tony knew he shouldn't feel this amused, but he couldn't help it.

He left the table with all the parts and went back to his own workbench to pick up where he left off while Rhodey talked about whatever he came here for. Except Rhodey didn't start talking. He stood there, watching Tony, and there was a "look" on his face.

'What?'

'Nothing,' Rhodey shrugged.

'No, I see a "look", why do you have that "look"?'

'No, really, it's-'

'Really? As if I can't tell when you have a "look" on your face.'

'You always think I have a "look" on my face.'

'Because you usually do, they just all mean different things. It's not a disappointed look… I know that one.'

He wished he didn't know it that well.

'Just say whatever you want to say, Rhodey, you know you want to,' Tony encouraged.

Rhodey just shrugged again. 'You like that kid,' he said, gesturing towards the door where Loki left with a nod of his head.

'I don't… _dislike_ him,' Tony said in return.

Rhodey just gave him an amused look this time. 'How often is he in here?' he asked.

'Kid like this, you have to keep him occupied, or he will get in trouble,' Tony said.

'Oh, I know. I suffered through enough of your boredom back at MIT.'

'You loved it,' Tony teased right back. Then he finally turned to give Rhodey his full attention.

'No, really, spit it out,' he prompted.

'Nothing, I'm just wondering,' Rhodey said right away, casually leaning to the workbench next to Tony. 'There's a bit of a pattern here, after all.'

'What pattern?' Tony asked, pointedly turning back towards one of his screens. He only saw Rhodey's unimpressed look from the corner of his eye.

'You know very well what I'm talking about.'

'I sure don't.'

'Right… cause there's no kid in Tennessee, with a high-tech garage and a college fund waiting for him.'

'Stark Industries has tons of scholarships,' Tony chimed in.

'And there's no kid in Queens that Happy's keeping track of,' Rhodey added.

'Completely different scenario,' Tony argued, pointing at Rhodey's face. 'He has abilities, I keep track of a lot of people like that.'

'Not the same way.'

Tony really didn't understand the point of these questions. He gave Rhodey a much angrier glare.

'So, what? You'd rather I didn't give a shit?'

Rhodey's face softened immediately, lost that teasing little edge that was getting on Tony's nerves. 'No, Tony, of course not,' he sighed. 'I'm going about this the wrong way.'

'Seems like it, since I have no idea what you're talking about,' Tony told him.

Rhodey looked torn for a moment, like he wanted to bring up something unpleasant, and Tony immediately tensed. Whatever it was, he didn't want to hear it right now, he just couldn't.

'So, Zach Burch,' Tony said instead, cutting off whatever Rhodey wanted to say. 'You know, that little asshole we finally got arrested. Did you see the profile HELEN put together for me?'

'Yeah, I've seen it,' Rhodey nodded. He wasn't really involved in the whole mess with Burch and the murder of Jaci Nowell, but he did catch up with everything after he realised Tony and Maria were involved.

'Talented kid,' Tony said, bringing up said profile. 'Good GPA, a place at a fancy university, bright future… well, that's all the media's been talking about at least,' he added with a scowl. 'As per usual.'

'He was a violent entitled brat who took drugs for breakfast,' Rhodey said, staring at the mugshot that was the most recent picture. 'And I bet Jaci was not the first girl he hurt.'

'And he probably would've gotten away with this one too if Loki didn't drop that phone in our laps,' Tony agreed. 'His father is still trying to solve this "problem" with money, and if not for me… well, he probably would've gotten him out on bail at least, with promises of rehab or something…'

'And that's bothering you,' Rhodey concluded. 'More than usual.'

'I've been preoccupied with the big picture,' Tony told him. 'Saving the world… and yeah, there are aliens and goddamn evil gods, and we do need to fight them, but I haven't been paying attention to other things.'

'You can't solve all the world's problems, Tony. You do a hell of a lot more than others.'

Tony stared at Zach Burch's mug shot for another moment, then shook his head and closed the window.

'Sometimes the world turns children into monsters,' he said.

'I think in Zach Burch's case, that was more his father,' Rhodey said.

'The whole case just made me think,' Tony shrugged. 'And the board probably won't like it, but I have to do something.'

Rhodey gave him a fond smile.

'I assume that means you plan to burn a lot of money on something that won't actually earn you any money.'

'You know me so well,' Tony smiled back. He had a lot of plans in place, in fact. There was a lot you could do for communities and schools with just a few million dollars. Sure, he already had a lot of scholarships in place and the Maria Stark Foundation did a lot of good work, but he could've been doing a lot more.

'You should discuss it with Pepper,' Rhodey advised. 'If you don't want the board at your door with pitchforks.'

'The last thing Pepper needs is more work,' Tony said.

'When was the last time you spoke to her?'

Tony realised then what Rhodey's visit was about.

'She asked for time and space and that's what I'm giving her. What do you expect me to do?'

Rhodey looked more concerned than annoyed.

'I would like you to talk to her, Tony, figure this out together. You're both miserable.'

Tony shut his eyes and took a few deep breaths to gather his thoughts. He had to explain this right, Rhodey would not accept anything else.

'She wants me to take a step back from everything,' he said. 'She doesn't want me to put myself in danger, but I can't. I can't promise her that.'

He finally looked at Rhodey and hoped to find understanding in his knowing dark eyes.

'I can't just ignore it when the world's about to blow up! Right now, if a spaceship were to appear right on top of us, I would put on my suit and stand right in front of it, because every hit I take is not aimed at someone defenceless. What would that make me, if I can make a difference, but I choose not to? That's… I can't promise her that.'

He understood the pain he saw in Pepper's eyes, how much every wound on Tony's body hurt her. And he wanted to do everything in his power to make it go away, but he just couldn't. He dreaded talking to her. He feared she would ask this of him again. He feared that she would look at him with her sad eyes and beg him not to put himself in danger anymore, and he would have to tell her no. He never wanted to see her cry again.

'Then don't,' Rhodey said, pulling Tony out of the dark swirl of emotions that threatened to drag him down into a suffocating panic.

'What?'

'Don't promise her that, Tony,' Rhodey continued in a soft tone, walking closer to him. His proximity always made Tony calm. 'Over and over again you promised her that you will be more careful, but then the next bad thing happens and you're right back in the fray. Stop making her promises you don't intend to keep.'

Tony stared back at his friend in silence.

'There are plenty of people whose partners have dangerous jobs,' Rhodey added. 'And I don't think Iron Man is the problem between you and Pepper. Don't try to placate her with gestures and promises, just be honest.'

His words were comforting, but Tony was still unsure.

'I know what you're thinking,' Rhodey added.

He probably did, he's known Tony longer than anyone. He was often wary of honesty, even if not always deliberately, because in the past honesty got him nowhere. And even now he felt anxiety bubbling up on his chest. He could tell Pepper the truth, that he would never stop being Iron Man for as long as he was physically capable of using the suit, and maybe she would look at him with her big sad eyes and walk away.

A small part of his brain told him he was being unreasonable, that Pepper would never just completely walk out of his life, but the fear was there, cold and numbing.

'Talk to her, please,' Rhodey asked.

Tony nodded and welcomed Rhodey's hand squeezing his shoulder warmly. He was right, like usual.

x-x-x

Tony buried himself in his work for days after Rhodey's visit, trying and failing not to think about Pepper and what he needed to do. He only really left his workshop when HELEN reminded him that he needed to eat or sleep. It was a bad habit he didn't really want to pick up again, but his brain left him with little choice.

Then out of the blue HELEN popped Pepper's schedule up on his screen, highlighting all the available slots for his attention.

'Are you conspiring against me?' Tony asked his AI.

'Everything I do is for your well-being,' she said mildly, but Tony knew Rhodey was behind it.

But he did call Pepper in the end. He stared at her photo on his phone for an embarrassingly long time, but he hit the dial button and asked her to meet him. She told him that she would come over to the compound. Maybe she could hear it on his voice how freaked out he was, or maybe she didn't want him in her new flat, in case things got awkward.

Tony had hours to overanalyse what it meant, and every second he wished he could just get his brain to shut up. Obviously, it did not work.

He left his workshop behind, the space too quiet for his current state of mind. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts and drive himself mad with worry. He went to the communal floor. There was no one around, but just making coffee in the little kitchenette was somehow helping with his nerves. He even managed to not stare at the clock on the wall and wonder whether Pepper was late or not. Which was stupid, because she was never late.

'Loki! Stop!' Tony heard Thor's voice, then he noticed the sound of thumping feet rushing up the stairs when he turned around.

Loki's black head popped up a moment later, his face scrunched up, sprinting across the room right away. He got close enough for Tony to put an arm out and stop him. He spilled some of his coffee from the impact, but none of it got on Tony or Loki. The boy twisted around, but Tony crouched down and put his arm around his waist. He stopped squirming then, but he was just angrily staring at the floor, his brows deeply furrowed. Tony didn't really like his hitching breaths.

'Hey… hey, what's going on?'

Thor finally reached the top of the stairs too, but he slowed down once he saw that Loki was caught. Tony heard a heavy sigh from him, but he kept his eyes on Loki.

'Will you say anything now?' Thor asked, but Loki just kept glaring at the floor. Thor sighed again. 'I don't know what's gotten into you, brother. Jane deserved none of your vile and insults. She was nothing but kind to you.'

Oh, so that again. Tony did wonder. He absently moved his hand up and down a little, but the gesture didn't seem to have much affect on Loki. Well, at least he wasn't trying to get away from Tony.

Thor waited for another moment, perhaps for Loki to speak up, but Tony knew that stubborn look. The boy was not going to open his mouth until he calmed down.

'I want us to be brothers again,' Thor said then, sounding tired and worn out. 'Like when we were young. We used to-'

'I don't care!' Loki yelled. Tony tried to get his attention, but it was no use. 'About your stupid girlfriend and your stupid stories!'

'Loki-'

Tony didn't expect him to do it, that's why he was too slow to react. The boy snatched his coffee mug out of his hand and hurled it at Thor, then tried to twist out of Tony's hold again to run away. The mug shattered on the floor after it bounced off Thor's chest, but the coffee did end up splattered all over his t-shirt. Thor looked more upset than angry about the outburst, he just stared at them sadly.

'Hey, Bambi, no,' Tony spoke to him, keeping his voice quiet. It wasn't doing much. The kid was still trying to get away and Tony didn't really want to force him to stay. Most certainly not by keeping him pinned to his side, because that was a sure-fire way to get kicked in the kidney when the kid was in this mood.

'Want me to find Barnes for you? How about that?' he offered instead. 'HELEN?'

'Residential gym,' the AI reported dutifully.

'See? Just two floors down, we can get there in no time.'

'I can go alone,' Loki said, his back still turned to Thor, not even looking at Tony now.

'HELEN will tell him you're coming,' Tony said and let go of him. The boy ran as soon as he was free. They both stared after him for a moment, then Thor bent down to pick up the broken ceramic pieces from the floor.

'I wish I knew what I'm doing wrong,' Thor sighed again.

Tony didn't know what to tell him. He knew the kid would calm down around Barnes, but that didn't really solve the issue at hand.

'Give him time to cool off first,' Tony offered. 'You're not getting anything out of him when he's wound up like this.'

'So I'm starting to see,' Thor nodded. Tony really wished he had anything to add, but the way Loki acted around Thor was a bit of a mystery for him as well. Maybe he could ask Wanda to try and speak to the kid, he usually got very chatty with her. Or maybe Barnes will take one look at him and he will just know what the hell was going on. He often did.

'There really is no way for me not to interrupt here.'

Tony whirled around immediately and sure enough, Pepper stood by the stairs, looking at them both with a small apologetic smile on her face.

'Pep, hi, yeah,' Tony got out. Smooth.

Thor straightened up again and the state of his t-shirt made Pepper frown.

'That was coffee, are you okay?'

'My skin is not so easily scalded,' Thor reassured her with a smile. 'I do apologise for the mess.'

'No, that was hardly your fault,' Pepper said, walking further into the room. 'But we do have Roombas for this, don't bother with the stains on the floor.'

'It was no hassle,' Thor said and turned to throw the broken pieces of the mug out. This left Tony and Pepper standing face-to-face. Just to two of them.

'Hi,' Tony said again, unable to look away from her. She gave him a smile, soft and fond. It made Tony's heart too warm.

'Do you want me to come back another time?' she asked with a meaningful look towards Thor.

'No, I need to talk to you. Well, we both need to talk to each other.'

Fortunately, Thor must've picked up on the tension or was more aware of Tony's relationship status than Tony gave him credit for, because he hastily excused himself, gesturing at his stained t-shirt with a smile. He was too good at smiling brightly even while upset. Tony was intimately familiar with that skill as well.

'Want to go somewhere quieter?' Tony offered.

Pepper, always more observant about people than Tony himself, noticed how anxious he was. She must have, because she took hold of his hand to lead him out of the room. It didn't banish all of Tony's nerves, but his heart settled, just a bit, and squirmed hopefully.

x-x-x

To be continued…

 **Author's Note:**

Hello my lovelies. This story will continue to be mostly on hiatus as I continue my degree studies. First semester done, yay!

I hope I will be able to finish this story, I still intend to do so, but I am also hard at work on my first original novel alongside my degree, so not much time is left for fanfics.

Thank you for your patience! Happy Holidays and have a great New Year everyone.


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